Credit Agricole posts 11% Q3 profit jump as fixed-income trading outperforms peers

Credit Agricole Q3 Profit Rises 11% on Strong Fixed-Income and Retail Growth

Credit Agricole's Third-Quarter Performance Overview

By Mateusz Rabiega

Oct 30 (Reuters) - France's Credit Agricole reported an 11% year-on-year like-for-like rise in its third-quarter net profit on Friday, helped by revenue growth at its corporate and investment banking business and solid performance at its retail arm.

Investment Banking Division Outperforms Rivals

Within its investment bank, Credit Agricole outperformed in fixed income, currencies and commodities sales, with a more than 8% rise against flat or falling revenue at French rivals BNP Paribas and Societe Generale.

Fixed Income, Currencies, and Commodities (FICC) Growth

• FICC sales up 8.3% defying its French and Wall Street rivals, while structured equity and equity business jumps 42%

• Investment banking revenue was €1.75 billion, up 10% on 2025 levels

Comparison with European Peers

Credit Agricole is reporting after a flurry of European banks this week, with investors examining results to see if lenders can sustain recent record profits, amid some nervousness that the boom is running out of steam.

Retail Banking Achieves Record Revenues

• Revenues at its French retail arm grew 17% to a record-high €1.15 billion.

Cost Management and Efficiency

• Growing income outpaced costs, which rose slightly to €3.93 billion, lowering the bank's cost-to-income ratio to 55.4% for the quarter

• Like its domestic rivals, Credit Agricole faces pressure to control costs while growing revenues amid competition from U.S. investment banking giants and in its retail business, from digital challengers

Key Financial Highlights

• Credit Agricole said Q3 profits attributable to shareholders came in at €1.99 billion ($2.22 billion), slightly ahead of LSEG-compiled average forecasts

• Revenue rose 8% to €7.09 billion compared with an LSEG forecast of €7.01 billion

($1 = 0.8957 euros)

(Reporting by Mateusz Rabiega; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes)