Raymond Vermolen, ING’s global head of media relations, opened the event, outlining the day’s agenda, which included presentations, Q&A sessions, and arranged interviews with senior management.

A Legacy of Innovation

The event highlighted ING’s history of challenging traditional banking. A video from the late 1990s recalled the launch of ING Direct, the bank’s branchless model designed to cut costs and offer higher savings rates. Over the years, ING expanded this low-cost, primarily digital approach to Spain, Australia, France, the US, and the UK, long before smartphones and digital onboarding became the norm.

Global Footprint and Retail Ambitions

ING now employs 60,000 people worldwide, including 20,000 engineers, and operates in over hundred of countries. The bank’s balance sheet exceeds €1.1trn, with more than €700bn in customer lending and nearly €740bn in deposits. Profits for 2025 surpassed €7bn.

The retail business, responsible for half of ING’s capital and two-thirds of its profits, serves over 40 million clients. ING is a stellar mortgage lender in Europe, financing over €300bn in housing loans, and supports entrepreneurs with €100bn in loans to SMEs.

Digital Growth and AI Innovation

Digital innovation remains central to ING’s strategy. Last year, 1.2 million clients joined digitally without human interaction. Almost 70% of loans were processed through straight-through digital workflows, while 90% of sales occurred online. The mobile app receives 170 million visits weekly. Generative AI is already applied in customer contact centres, marketing, kyc, lending and coding, and ING plans agentic AI integration in mortgage operations, starting in Germany and the Netherlands and voice agents starting in Spain and Germany.

Financial Literacy and Generational Wealth Transfer

Matteo Pomoni, head of investments & wealth for ING in Italy highlighted the challenges and opportunities of financial literacy amid Europe’s upcoming generational wealth transfer. “It is a fantastic opportunity for the whole European financial system,” he said, cautioning that “it is not going to be a walk in the park.”

Pomoni noted that European households lag behind Americans in investment growth, with countries like Italy showing particularly cautious behaviour. “Italians are prudent investors, with less than 10% of their portfolio in equity, leading to a deterioration of personal wealth,” he explained.

To address low financial literacy, ING uses a three-pillar approach: innovation, personalisation, and transparency. “Instead of blaming clients, we should ask what we can do more and better to help them in this process,” Pomoni said. ING leverages technology to make investment advice accessible remotely, with 91% of proposals now delivered through digital channels. The bank emphasises goal-oriented advice, noting that “products are just instruments. They are the last mile.”

Transparency in fees is also key to building trust. Pomoni stated: “If in a business of trust, it’s not even clear how much I’m paying for your services, then there is a lack of trust.”

Investment Outlook for 2026

Bob Homan, Head of ING Investment Office offered a cautiously optimistic outlook: “It will be a good year but not too good. But if you compare this to what you can earn on the savings account, it’s much, much higher.” He expects European equities to rise around 6% when combining price appreciation and dividends, while real estate may yield around 5%, and government bonds remain near zero. Active management will be essential due to expected volatility and huge dispersion between stocks that are presumed AI winners and presumed AI losers.

He also highlighted the AI-driven shift in markets, warning of an AI bubble but noting that companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon are likely to benefit. “We all use AI,” he said.

Private Markets Expansion

ING introduced its Private Markets Platform, launched in October 2023, aiming to democratise private market investing, traditionally reserved for ultra-high-net-worth individuals or institutions. The platform seeks to make private market opportunities accessible, efficient, and beneficial for all clients.

Looking Ahead

With a potential market of 400 million people and 30 million enterprises within its footprint, ING sees significant opportunities for growth. The bank continues to focus on organic growth, adding around a million mobile primary clients annually, while expanding digital offerings for entrepreneurs, retail, and wealth management clients.

Pinar Abay, ING’s global head of retail banking, reinforced the bank’s mission: “We want to make banking accessible, seamless, and lovable, and to empower both entrepreneurs and retail clients with financial expertise and innovation.”

The International Media Insights Day underscored ING’s long-standing tradition of leading change in banking while reaffirming its ambition to combine digital innovation with customer-centricity, sustainability, and inclusive growth.