Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of ING Groep N.V. (ING)

You're looking at what drives a financial titan, and for ING Groep N.V., their core principles are clearly translating into performance: the bank reported a massive €1.1 trillion in total assets as of Q3 2025. That kind of scale-plus a first-half 2025 net result of €3,130 million-doesn't happen by accident; it's the defintely result of a clear, actionable Mission and Vision. So, how does a bank with a 13.0% Return on Equity in H1 2025 align its purpose of empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business with its day-to-day operations?

ING Groep N.V. (ING) Overview

You need to understand what makes ING Groep N.V. a powerhouse, and the simple answer is a relentless focus on digital-first retail and wholesale banking across Europe. The company, a Dutch multinational financial services corporation, traces its roots back to the 1991 merger of the Dutch postal bank and NN Insurance, though it reverted to a pure-play banking model after the 2008 financial crisis to comply with government support conditions.

Today, ING is a global systemically important bank, offering a comprehensive suite of products. The business is split into Retail Banking, which provides savings, payments, investments, loans, and mortgages, and Wholesale Banking, which focuses on specialized lending, corporate finance, and sustainable finance solutions. This diversified model is why the bank is projecting a total income (revenue) of approximately €22.8 billion for the full 2025 fiscal year.

• Products: Mortgages, investment products, corporate lending, trade finance.
• Customer Base: Over 40 million customers globally.
• Digital Focus: 37% of customers are now classified as mobile primary customers.

ING's Record-Breaking 2025 Financial Performance

Honestly, the third quarter of 2025 was a defintely strong one, demonstrating the payoff from ING Groep N.V.'s strategic focus on fee-generating activities and digital growth. The company reported a Q3 2025 net result of €1,787 million, with profit before tax hitting €2,560 million, underscoring solid profitability despite a complex macroeconomic environment. This financial strength is also reflected in the rolling four-quarter net profit, which stood at a robust €6 billion as of Q3 2025.

The real story is the growth in non-interest income, which is a key indicator of a healthy, diversified revenue stream. Fee income, which comes from main product sales like investment products and lending services, reached €1,165 million in Q3 2025, representing an impressive 12% year-on-year growth. This is why management raised the full-year 2025 fee income growth outlook to more than 10%. The bank's total income for the quarter was €5,898 million, driven by this fee growth and strong commercial net interest income. Net core lending also expanded significantly, with a Q3 increase of €14.2 billion, mainly in residential mortgages and wholesale banking loans. That's a huge boost to the balance sheet.

A Leader in European Digital Banking

ING Groep N.V. isn't just a big bank; it's a leader in the shift toward digital, sustainable finance. With total assets of approximately €1.1 trillion as of Q3 2025, the company consistently ranks among the largest banks globally. Its market-leading positions in the Netherlands and Belgium, combined with a successful network of digital banks across Europe and Australia, set it apart from many traditional peers. One clean one-liner: They are a digital-first giant in a traditional industry.

The bank's strategic commitment to sustainability is also a major differentiator, with a 29% year-on-year increase in sustainable finance mobilization, reaching €110 billion, as they help clients transition to a low-carbon economy. This focus on both digital efficiency and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors positions ING for long-term success. To really dig into the foundation of this success, you should explore the company's foundational principles: ING Groep N.V. (ING): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

ING Groep N.V. (ING) Mission Statement

You're looking for the bedrock of a global financial giant, and for ING Groep N.V. (ING), that foundation is its Purpose, which acts as its mission statement. It's a clear, powerful directive: ING Groep N.V. (ING): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money. This isn't just a corporate slogan; it's the strategic compass guiding every decision, from digital investment to capital allocation. Honestly, a mission statement's value is in its actionability, and ING's is directly tied to its goal of being a banking leader in building a sustainable future while delivering a superior customer experience.

Here's the quick math: The company's focus on this purpose helped drive a strong financial position in 2025. For the first half of the year, ING reported a net result of €3,130 million, demonstrating that a clear, customer-centric mission can defintely translate into tangible shareholder value.

Component 1: Customer Empowerment and Digital Edge

The first core component, empowering people to stay a step ahead in life, is all about making banking frictionless. People don't want a bank; they want banking that just works, removing barriers between them and their financial goals. This is why ING pours resources into its digital platforms, ensuring superior customer value through seamless, secure mobile services.

This digital-first approach is working. By the third quarter of 2025, the mobile primary customer base grew by 1.1 million, an 8% year-on-year increase. That's a significant gain, especially in a mature European market. Also, the strong customer engagement is boosting revenue, with Retail fee income rising a solid 14% year-on-year in 3Q 2025, largely from investment products as more customers use the platform to invest.

• Gain confidence: Frictionless banking builds trust.
• Drive growth: Digital platforms increase fee income.
• Stay relevant: Innovation meets evolving customer needs.

Component 2: Strategic Business Partnership

The second component, empowering people to stay a step ahead in business, focuses on the Wholesale Banking segment, which provides specialized lending, corporate finance, and sustainable finance solutions. This isn't just transactional; it's about being a strategic partner that helps businesses realize their own vision for a better future.

The performance here reflects a disciplined, quality-focused strategy. In the third quarter of 2025, Wholesale Banking showed strong performance with increased loan underwriting activity and higher lending volumes, which drove robust fee income. What this estimate hides is the underlying commitment to asset quality: risk costs across the bank remained below the through-the-cycle average, reflecting the high quality of the loan portfolio.

For a financial analyst, the capital strength is key. The CET1 ratio (Common Equity Tier 1 ratio, a measure of a bank's capital strength) stood at a robust 13.4% at the end of 3Q 2025, well above the regulatory requirement. This capital cushion allows ING to confidently support business lending and growth, even amid macroeconomic uncertainty.

Component 3: Sustainability at the Core

The third, and increasingly critical, component is the commitment to putting sustainability at the heart of everything. This is how ING delivers its mission in a way that creates long-term value for all stakeholders. It's a trend-aware realist view: the climate crisis is a threat, and the bank must lead the transition to a low-carbon economy.

ING is translating this commitment into concrete financial actions, which is what matters. In the first half of 2025, the volume of sustainable finance mobilized reached €67.8 billion, representing a 19% increase compared to the same period in the prior year. This includes initiatives like a new mortgage pricing model in the Netherlands that offers lower interest rates when eligible customers improve their home's energy label. This is not just talk; it's a tangible product that changes customer behavior and reduces risk. The bank's management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) material risk is viewed as 'Strong' by Sustainalytics as of June 2025, further validating this core commitment.

ING Groep N.V. (ING) Vision Statement

You're looking at ING Groep N.V. (ING) not just as a financial stock, but as a long-term strategic play. To understand the investment thesis, you have to look past the quarterly earnings and see how their vision-the engine of their strategy-is performing. The core vision, or purpose, is simple: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. This isn't corporate fluff; it's a mandate that drives their three main strategic pillars: digital customer experience, robust financial prudence, and a deep commitment to sustainability.

What this means for you, the investor, is that ING is betting its future on being a digital-first, responsible, and climate-aware bank. They know customers don't need a physical bank; they need banking that's easy, instant, and personal. The numbers from the 2025 fiscal year show this strategy is defintely working, particularly in customer acquisition and fee income growth.

Empowering People: The Digital Customer Experience

ING's vision translates directly into a relentless focus on making banking frictionless. They understand that a superior customer experience is the only way to compete against fintechs and other global banks. The proof is in their growth metric for mobile primary customers-the most valuable customer segment.

In the first nine months of 2025, ING gained an impressive 1.1 million mobile primary customers year-on-year, hitting their annual growth target of 1 million by the end of Q3 2025. This 8% growth, driven strongly by markets like Germany, Spain, and Italy, shows their digital-first model is scaling effectively. They're making banking easy, instant, personal, and relevant. That's the one-liner.

Here's the quick math on the commercial momentum: Retail fee income rose 14% year-on-year by Q3 2025, largely from investment products as more customers started investing digitally. This diversified income stream-fees now making up almost 20% of total income-is a crucial de-risking move away from pure net interest income (NII) reliance. If they keep this pace, the value of each primary customer rises significantly, bolstering the price-to-earnings multiple.

Prudent Growth: Financial Strength and Responsibility

The 'stay a step ahead' vision is underpinned by ING's Core Values, known as The Orange Code: We are honest. We are prudent. We are responsible. The 'prudent' value is what keeps the bank stable, especially in uncertain macroeconomic times. This is where capital ratios and risk management come into play.

For the first nine months of 2025 (9M 2025), ING reported a consolidated net result of approximately €4.917 billion (€1,455M in Q1 + €1,675M in Q2 + €1,787M in Q3). This robust performance allows them to maintain a strong capital buffer. Their Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio, a key measure of a bank's solvency, increased to 13.4% by the end of Q3 2025, comfortably above their adjusted target of approximately 13%. This high ratio signals a deep capacity to absorb unexpected losses and continue lending, which is a massive competitive advantage when others are pulling back.

What this estimate hides is the ongoing investment in Know Your Customer (KYC) processes and digital infrastructure, which keeps operating expenses controlled but still significant. Still, risk costs remain below their through-the-cycle average, reflecting the high quality of their loan portfolio.

Financing the Future: Sustainability at the Core

ING's vision of empowering people also extends to empowering the global transition to a low-carbon economy. The 'responsible' value is most visible in their sustainability strategy, which is a core part of their wholesale banking operations. They aim to play a leading role in accelerating this transition through financing, which is a massive opportunity for fee-generating business.

By Q3 2025, ING had mobilised €110 billion in sustainable finance volume, a 29% year-on-year increase. This puts them well on track to hit their 2025 ambition of mobilising an annual amount of €125 billion in financing that supports their corporate clients' transitions. They are actively steering the most carbon-intensive parts of their loan book toward net zero using their Terra approach, a science-based methodology. They've also committed to phasing out financing for non-decommissioning coal companies and projects by the end of 2025.

The strategic actions here are clear:

• End all new financing for new thermal coal-fired power plants or mines.
• Aim to triple renewable energy financing by 2025.
• Reduce financed emissions in key sectors like power generation, cement, and steel.

This isn't philanthropy; it's a smart business move that aligns their lending with future regulatory and societal demands. To dive deeper into how this impacts shareholder value, you should check out Exploring ING Groep N.V. (ING) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Next Step: Portfolio Managers: Assess the exposure of your current holdings to ING's 'Terra approach' sectors for alignment by month-end.

ING Groep N.V. (ING) Core Values

You're looking at ING Groep N.V. (ING) not just as a financial stock, but as an operating entity; you need to know if their stated values actually drive their strategy and capital allocation. The direct takeaway is this: ING's core values, codified in their Orange Code, are fundamentally about building trust through financial strength and social impact, which is why they're hitting their targets for digital growth and sustainable finance mobilization. Their purpose is clear: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business.

This purpose guides all their strategic moves, from their digital-first vision to their capital management. For example, their net result for the third quarter of 2025 was a robust €1,787 million, which shows they can execute on strategy while maintaining a strong financial position. That's a solid quarter in a turbulent market.

We are Honest (Customer Empowerment and Transparency)

The value of being honest translates directly into providing clear, easy, and transparent services, which is the cornerstone of their superior customer experience priority. This isn't just a marketing slogan; it's an investment thesis. ING knows that a frictionless digital experience is what keeps customers from walking across the street to a competitor, so they invest heavily in their digital platforms to keep banking simple.

Their focus on digital is defintely paying off in customer acquisition. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, ING gained almost 200,000 mobile primary customers, which is a key metric for a digital bank. On a year-over-year basis, they added 1.1 million mobile primary customers, representing a strong 8% growth, keeping them on track for their annual growth targets. This growth is fueled by their commitment to using data and technology to give you real-time insights-empowering you to make better financial decisions. You can see more on this strategic alignment in Exploring ING Groep N.V. (ING) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

We are Prudent (Financial Strength and Risk Management)

Prudence is the financial analyst's favorite value, meaning ING manages risk carefully, especially since they deal with other people's money. This is where you look for capital ratios and compliance initiatives, not just words. ING's commitment here is evident in their ongoing efforts to fortify their defenses against financial crime and maintain a capital buffer well beyond regulatory minimums. They manage financial risks carefully and only take risks that have been properly assessed.

Here's the quick math on their financial strength: As of September 30, 2025, ING Groep N.V.'s Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio stood at 13.4%, which is well above the regulatory requirement. This high ratio shows they have a strong capital base to support growth and withstand economic shocks. On the compliance side, they are actively executing a global Know Your Customer (KYC) programme in 2025.

• Enhance KYC files and tooling.
• Improve compliance policies and monitoring.
• Strengthen governance and employee knowledge.

This global KYC programme is a concrete demonstration of their commitment to integrity above all, acting as a gatekeeper to the financial system.

We are Responsible (Sustainability and Social Impact)

The responsibility value extends beyond just their customers and shareholders; it encompasses their impact on society and the environment. ING aims to play a leading role in accelerating the global transition to a low-carbon economy, and they back this up with significant capital mobilization.

Their progress here is quantifiable and impressive. In the third quarter of 2025, ING's sustainable finance mobilization-the volume of financing they provided for sustainable activities-increased by a substantial 29% year-on-year, reaching €110 billion. This is a massive capital shift. Furthermore, the market recognizes this commitment: in October 2025, their ESG rating by MSCI was upgraded to 'AAA', a top-tier rating that signals strong management of environmental, social, and governance risks. They are putting sustainability at the heart of everything they do.