Breaking news

Piraeus Bank Reports Robust 2025 Profitability and Strategic Growth

Piraeus Bank reported profitability of €1.1 billion in 2025, with return on tangible equity reaching 16%, excluding extraordinary items. The results reflect continued earnings growth and stronger operating performance as the bank expands lending activity and diversifies revenue sources.

Impressive Profitability In 2025

The bank posted a net profit of €250 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Net interest income reached €477 million during the quarter, up 1% sequentially, supported by higher loan volumes and stable asset performance. Net interest margin remained at 2.25%, reflecting disciplined balance sheet management amid a changing interest-rate environment.

Solid Fourth Quarter Performance

Fourth-quarter results showed improving momentum, supporting the bank’s annual net interest income target of €1.9 billion. Lending activity contributed to stronger fee generation, with net fee income rising to €206 million, up 23% year over year. Growth was supported by asset management fees, investment banking activity, and bancassurance services.

Diversification Of Income Streams

Fee-based income continued to play a larger role in overall profitability. Net fee income accounted for 29% of total net revenues, reaching €696 million for the year and exceeding the bank’s target of €650 million. The inclusion of Ethniki Asfalistiki in consolidated results also expanded the bank’s service portfolio and supported revenue diversification.

Strategic Moves And Sustainable Growth

CEO Christos Megalou said in an interview that 2025 was shaped by strong execution and strategic expansion. The bank recorded an 11% increase in its loan portfolio, with net credit expansion reaching €4 billion, above annual targets.

With improved asset quality and a growing share of fee-based income, management says the bank is positioned to maintain stable performance as market conditions evolve.

Looking ahead, Piraeus Bank plans to present updated targets at its Capital Markets Day in London on March 5, 2026. The bank currently holds €66 billion in deposits and €14.5 billion in investment funds under management, highlighting its scale within the Greek banking sector.

Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5 With New AI Safety Controls

New Model Sets The Bar For AI Safety And Efficiency

Anthropic has launched Claude Fable 5, the latest public version of its Mythos model, expanding access to a system designed for software engineering, knowledge work and computer vision tasks. The company said high-risk requests involving areas such as cybersecurity, biology, chemistry and AI model distillation will be redirected to Claude Opus 4.8, which has been configured with additional safeguards.

Strategic Rollout And Broader Accessibility

Mythos was initially made available to a limited group of partners in April as Anthropic evaluated potential cybersecurity risks associated with the model. Access was expanded last week to hundreds of organisations across 15 countries, primarily those operating critical infrastructure. Claude Fable 5 is now available through Anthropic’s Claude API and usage-based Enterprise plans. Early access has also been included in selected subscription tiers ahead of a broader pricing rollout scheduled for June 23.

Advancing Safety And Industry Standards

Anthropic said the model underwent extensive safety testing before release, including bug bounty programmes and red-team exercises conducted by external organisations. According to the company, more than 1,000 hours of testing did not identify any universal jailbreak vulnerabilities.

A mandatory 30-day data retention policy will apply to all traffic processed by the model, including accounts that previously operated under zero-retention agreements. Anthropic said the measure is intended to improve monitoring and protection against emerging security threats.

Outstanding Performance And Competitive Pricing

Independent evaluations, including testing by analytics company Hex, reported strong performance in complex reasoning and analytical tasks. Companies, including Base44 and Genspark, highlighted improvements in tool use and interface design capabilities. Pricing has been set at $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens, compared with lower rates for previous models. Some enterprise customers, including Rakuten, said the model’s ability to verify aspects of its own output could help improve efficiency in tasks that require higher levels of accuracy.

Implications For The AI Market

The release comes as Anthropic prepares for a potential public market debut, and competition among leading AI developers continues to intensify. Alongside performance improvements, the company has placed significant emphasis on model safety, reflecting broader industry concerns around misuse, jailbreak attempts and the risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.

The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties
eCredo
Uol
Aretilaw firm

Become a Speaker

Become a Speaker

Become a Partner

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter