Kotak Mahindra Bank is the most profitable bank in India, while State Bank of India reports the largest net profit. Indian banks place fourth globally in net profit share, surpassing France.
Kotak Mahindra Bank is the most profitable bank in India, while State Bank of India reports the largest net profit. Indian banks place fourth globally in net profit share, surpassing France.
The top 10 digital banks by pre-tax profit leveraged scale advantages, yet growth varied widely, reflecting differences in strategies, market dynamics and operational priorities.
Asia Pacific remains the world's least profitable banking region, but a group of small emerging-market banks with assets below $50 billion are delivering outsized returns.
Digital banks with loan balances above $250 million are significantly more likely to be profitable, as scale and product diversification strengthen revenue. Most reach breakeven within three to six years. For those still unprofitable past the seven-year mark, N26 in Germany, Varo Bank in the US, Lunar Bank in Denmark and CIMB Bank Philippines among them, face an increasingly difficult case for continued investment.
Aggregate losses across Hong Kong's digital banks narrowed sharply, while two leading players, ZA Bank and livi Bank, moved into profitability, supported by an improving revenue mix and tighter cost control, signalling growing progress towards break-even across the sector after more than six years in the market.
N26 delivered its first full-year net profit in 2025, but a decade of prioritising growth over bank-grade controls left the German fintech trailing European rivals, prompting a sweeping leadership overhaul.