Erste reports that the windfall tax significantly reduces profits.
The Erste Bank’s net profit for the first half of the year decreased by 20 percent, reaching 55.7 billion forints, compared to 69.2 billion forints last year. The main reason for the decline was the significant impact of the extraordinary profit tax, which amounted to 37.6 billion forints. Despite this, lending activity increased: the volume of new loans increased by 75 percent, while consumer lending reached a record high, and the proportion of non-performing loans decreased to 1.4 percent.
Despite strong lending activity and increasing revenues, Erste Bank’s first-half taxable profit fell by 20 percent: the financial institution ended the first six months of 2026 with a profit of 55.7 billion forints, compared to 69.2 billion forints the previous year. The main reason for the decline was the significantly increased extraordinary profit tax, which burdened the result by 37.6 billion forints. Meanwhile, the total volume of new loans increased by 75 percent, with consumer lending setting records, while new corporate loans nearly doubled, and the proportion of non-performing loans fell to a historic low of 1.4 percent.
