The buybacks are part of the lender's way of cutting capital costs and improving return on equity.

ABN AMRO has started its share buyback programme, originally announced last month. The Netherlands-headquartered bank said it intends to repurchase €250 million ($287.4 million) in advanced depository receipts and ordinary shares. The buybacks are part of ABN AMRO's way of cutting capital costs and increasing equity returns. 

The programme, which has been approved by the European Central Bank, is expected to run until October at the latest, the bank said.

ABN AMRO said its Common Equity Tier 1 ratio at the end of 2025 was 15.4 per cent. The capital required for the announced share buyback programme has been reserved and was already excluded from the 2025 Q4 capital ratios. 

NLFI will participate in the buyback for such number of shares as corresponds with 20 per cent of the total value of the share buyback programme via off-market transactions, thereby maintaining its relative stake in the company. (NL Financial Investments was formed in 2011 to manage shares of nationalised financial institutions in the Netherlands.)

In February, ABN AMRO said its fourth-quarter 2025 profit rose 3 per cent year-on-year to €410 million. For the whole of last year, profit declined 6 per cent to €2.252 billion.

In May 2024, the bank built out its northwest European wealth management and corporate banking services by buying Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe. ABN AMRO acquired the business from China-based Fosun for €672 million. It already operates a German private banking business, Bethmann, headquartered in Frankfurt.