James Von Moltke
Analyst · Jefferies
Thank you, Christian, and good morning. As you can see on Slide 7, we saw continued strong delivery this quarter against all the broader objectives and targets we set ourselves for 2025. Our revenue growth, cost/income ratio and return on tangible equity are all developing in line with our full year objectives. Our capital position is strong, and our liquidity metrics are sound. The liquidity coverage ratio finished the quarter at 140%, and the net stable funding ratio was 119%. With that, let me now turn to the third quarter highlights on Slide 8. Our diversified and complementary business mix resulted in reported revenue growth of 7% year-on-year or 10% if adjusted for foreign exchange translation impacts. Due to the nonrecurrence of a provision release related to the Postbank takeover litigation matter from which we benefited last year, third quarter nonoperating costs and noninterest expenses were both higher year-on-year. The tax rate of 26% in the third quarter benefited from the reduction of deferred tax liabilities due to the change in the German corporate tax rate, which will start to decline after 2027. We continue to expect the 2025 full year tax rate to range between 28% and 29%. In the third quarter, diluted earnings per share was EUR 0.89 and tangible book value per share increased 3% year-on-year to EUR 30.17. Before I go on, a few remarks on Corporate and Other with further information in the appendix on Slide 36. C&O generated a pretax loss of EUR 110 million in the quarter, mainly driven by shareholder expenses and other centrally held items, partially offset by positive revenues and valuation and timing differences. Let me now turn to some of the drivers of these results, starting with net interest income on Slide 9. NII across key banking book segments and other funding was EUR 3.3 billion. Private Bank continued to deliver steady NII growth, supported by the ongoing rollover of our structural hedge portfolio and deposit inflows. Corporate Bank NII was slightly down quarter-on-quarter, reflecting lower one-offs, while it continues to be supported by underlying portfolio growth as well as hedge rollover. With respect to the full year, we continue to benefit from the long-term hedge portfolio rollover detailed on Slide 24 of the appendix and are on track to meet our plans on a currency-adjusted basis. Turning to Slide 10. Adjusted costs were EUR 5 billion for the quarter. Cost discipline across the franchise remains strong. Compensation costs were up on a year-on-year basis, primarily reflecting the higher performance-related accruals, higher deferred equity compensation and the impact of increasing Deutsche Bank and DWS share prices. With that, let me turn to provision for credit losses on Slide 11. Stage 3 provision for credit losses increased in the quarter to EUR 357 million as provisions for commercial real estate continued to be elevated, while the prior quarter included model-related benefits. Stage 1 and 2 provisions reduced to EUR 60 million and were driven by further model updates, which, as in the prior quarter, mainly impacted CRE-related provisions. Wider portfolio performance and asset quality remain resilient. While the macroeconomic and geopolitical environment continues to create uncertainty, we continue to expect lower provisioning levels in the second half of the year relative to the first half year, primarily due to the expected absence of additional notable model effects impacting Stage 1 and 2. We are actively monitoring and managing risks from private credit, which, as outlined on Slide 28, accounts for about 5% of our loan book. Our private credit exposure predominantly reflects lender finance facilities extended to high-quality financial sponsors backed by diversified pools of loans. These facilities are overwhelmingly investment-grade rated internally and are underwritten and maintained with conservative LTVs. We apply conservative underwriting standards, including our assessment of sponsor and investor quality, loan sizes and structural features. We are comfortable with our portfolio. And as Christian said, we had no exposure to recent high-profile cases. As you might expect, we remain vigilant and have undertaken additional portfolio reviews in light of these events. With that, let me turn to capital on Slide 12. Strong third quarter earnings, net of AT1 coupon and dividend deductions led to an increase in the CET1 ratio to 14.5%, up 26 basis points sequentially. RWA were flat during the quarter. As we head into the fourth quarter, let me remind you of the 27 basis point CET1 benefit we still have from the adoption of the Article 468 CRR transitional rule for unrealized gains and losses, which will expire at the end of the year. Also, following revised EBA guidance from June 2025 regarding the calculation of operational risk RWA under the new standardized approach, we must now perform the annual update of operational risk RWA already by the end of 2025, which is expected to lead to a 19 basis point drawdown in CET1 ratio terms. All else equal, therefore, these 2 items applied to the third quarter would lead to a pro forma CET1 ratio of approximately 14%, which is also roughly where we currently expect to finish the year. Our third quarter leverage ratio was 4.6%, down 11 basis points, principally from higher loans and commitments alongside increased settlement activity at quarter end. Tier 1 capital was essentially flat in the quarter as the derecognition of the USD 1.25 billion AT1 instrument that we called in September materially offset the quarter-on-quarter increase in CET1 capital. Let us now turn to performance in our businesses, starting with the Corporate Bank on Slide 14. In the third quarter, Corporate Bank achieved a strong post-tax return on tangible equity of 16.2% and a cost/income ratio of 63%, maintaining its high profitability. Both metrics showed a year-on-year improvement for the quarter as well as for the first 9 months of 2025. As anticipated in the previous quarter, Corporate Bank revenues remained essentially flat compared to the prior year quarter, demonstrating resilience in a [indiscernible] challenging environment. Margin normalization and FX headwinds were offset by interest hedging, higher average deposits and 4% growth in net commission and fee income, driven by continued expansion in corporate treasury services. On a sequential basis, revenues were slightly lower as the prior quarter benefited from one-off interest hedging gains and seasonally stronger net commission and fee income. Loans and deposits remained essentially flat on a reported basis. Adjusted for foreign exchange movements, loan volumes increased by EUR 5 billion year-on-year, driven by growth in the trade finance business and by EUR 1 billion sequentially. Deposit volumes remained strong with underlying growth both year-on-year and sequentially, offsetting the runoff of concentrated client balances. Noninterest expenses and adjusted costs were essentially flat as effective cost management mitigated the impact of inflation and investments in client service. A release of provision for credit losses, reflecting a release of Stage 1 and 2 and a low level of Stage 3 provisions demonstrates the continued resilience of the loan book. I'll now turn to the Investment Bank on Slide 15. Revenues for the third quarter increased 18% year-on-year with continued strength in FIC supported by a material improvement in O&A. FIC revenues increased 19%, driven by strong performance across businesses. Macro products and credit trading demonstrated material year-on-year improvements following strong market activity through the quarter, while financing continued its momentum with revenues again higher than the prior year period, driven by an increased carry profile, reflecting targeted balance sheet deployment. Moving to O&A. Revenues were significantly higher both year-on-year and sequentially, increasing 27% and 22%, respectively. Debt origination was the biggest driver as both leveraged and investment-grade debt grew revenues year-on-year with the leveraged finance market particularly active, having recovered well since the second quarter. Equity origination revenues increased 57%, driven by strong issuance activity, including an improved IPO market. Advisory revenues were essentially flat year-on-year as the industry fee pool moved away from our areas of strength. However, pipeline for the fourth quarter is encouraging. Noninterest expenses were higher year-on-year, primarily driven by the impact of higher deferred compensation and increased litigation charges. Provision for credit losses was EUR 308 million, significantly higher year-on-year, with Stage 1 and 2 provisions materially impacted by further model updates during the quarter and Stage 3 impairments. Let me now turn to Private Bank on Slide 16. The Private Bank continued its disciplined strategy execution and delivered a strong quarterly performance. Profit before tax doubled, reflecting 13% operating leverage in the quarter. Return on tangible equity rose to 12.6%, showing robust growth both sequentially and year-on-year. Revenues increased driven by a 9% rise in net interest income from deposits and lending, while net commission and fee income was essentially flat year-on-year. Growth in discretionary portfolio mandates, specifically in Germany, was partially offset by lower net commission and fee income from cards, payments and postal services this quarter. Growth in Personal Banking was mainly driven by higher investment and deposit revenues. Lending revenues were up slightly, helped by the absence of an episodic item in the prior year. The continued expansion in Wealth Management and Private Banking was supported by solid momentum in discretionary portfolio mandates. Sustained cost efficiency underpinned by transformation benefits led to a 9 percentage point improvement in the cost/income ratio to 68%. Personal Banking continued its transformation with 24 additional branch closures in the quarter, bringing the total to 109 this year. These actions contributed to workforce reductions of 1,000 in the first 9 months, demonstrating continued strategy execution. Business momentum remains strong with significant net inflows of EUR 13 billion, supported by successful deposit campaigns. Underlying credit trends showed improvements with provision for credit losses benefiting from model updates. Turning to Slide 17. My usual reminder, the Asset Management segment includes certain items that are not part of the DWS stand-alone financials. Profit before tax improved significantly by 42% from the prior year period, driven by higher revenues and resulting in an increase in return on tangible equity of 9 percentage points to 28% for this quarter. Revenues increased by 11% versus the prior year. Growth in average assets under management, both from markets and net inflows resulted in higher management fees of EUR 655 million. In addition, performance fees saw a significant increase from the prior year period, primarily due to the recognition of fees from an infrastructure fund. Noninterest expenses and adjusted costs were essentially flat, resulting in a decline in the cost/income ratio to below 60% for the quarter. Quarterly net inflows totaled EUR 12 billion with EUR 10 billion into passive products, including Xtrackers, which also recorded its best day ever this quarter in terms of net new assets. SQI, advisory services and cash contributed a further EUR 3 billion of net inflows, which more than offset EUR 2 billion in net outflows from multi-asset and active equity products. Assets under management increased to EUR 1.05 trillion in the quarter, driven by positive market impact and the aforementioned net inflows. During the quarter, DWS received the necessary licenses to open a new office in Abu Dhabi, strengthening its regional presence and client engagement in the Middle East, reinforcing its position as the preferred gateway to Europe for global investors. For further details, please have a look at DWS’s disclosure on their Investor Relations website. Turning to the outlook on Slide 18. We are on track to meet our full year 2025 targets and remain confident in our trajectory to deliver a return on tangible equity of above 10% and a cost/income ratio of below 65%. Our year-to-date performance supports our revenue and expense objectives. Our asset quality remains solid. And despite uncertainty from developments around CRE as well as the macroeconomic environment, we continue to anticipate lower provisioning levels in the second half. Our strong capital position and third quarter profit growth provide a solid foundation as we head into 2026. We also completed our second buyback, taking total buybacks in 2025 to EUR 1 billion, and we reiterate our commitment to outperforming our EUR 8 billion distribution target. And we look forward to providing you with an update on our forward-looking strategy and financial trajectory at our next Investor Deep Dive on November 17. With that, let me hand back to Ioana, and we look forward to your questions.