• February 17, 2016
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ING 2015 underlying net profit EUR 4,219 million; FY 2015 dividend at EUR 0.65 per ordinary share

Think Forward strategy drives strong new customer acquisitions and commercial growth in 2015
·ING attracted over 1.4 million new retail customers; primary relationships increased by almost 7% to 8.9 million
·Core lending recorded net growth of EUR 21.7 billion; robust net customer deposit inflow of EUR 25.1 billion

ING Bank full-year 2015 underlying net profit of EUR 4,219 million, up 23.2% from full-year 2014
·Strong 2015 performance reflects higher interest results and lower risk costs, despite higher regulatory costs
·4Q15 underlying result before tax was EUR 1,202 million with positive momentum across both Retail and Wholesale Banking

ING Group fully-loaded CET1 ratio strengthened to 12.7%; proposal to pay full-year dividend of EUR 2,515 million
·ING Group full-year 2015 net result EUR 4,010 million; 4Q15 net result was EUR 819 million
·ING Group's SREP requirement set at 9.5%; Dutch buffers currently set at 3% and phase in over four years
·ING proposes to pay final cash dividend of EUR 0.41 per ordinary share, following interim dividend of EUR 0.24 in August 2015

CEO statement
"We work hard every day to improve the customer experience and are grateful for the confidence our clients place in us," said Ralph Hamers, CEO of ING Group. "In 2015, our retail customer base grew by over 1.4 million new customers to 34.4 million at year-end; of this total, the number of customers selecting ING as their primary bank rose by almost 7% to 8.9 million. Net growth in our core lending book was EUR 21.7 billion, or 4.2%, as we continued to support our clients' financing needs throughout the business cycle. Net customer deposits grew by EUR 25.1 billion, or 5.1%."

"During 2015, we also made significant progress on increasing the pace of innovation across the company. In the fourth quarter, Poland introduced Moje ING, a platform which gives customers a comprehensive overview of their finances with the help of an easy-to-use financial planning tool, and is based on a similar system in Spain. Twyp, our app for peer-to-peer payments using telephone numbers, was launched in Spain in December. In the new year we also launched Twyp in the Netherlands and announced an investment in the fintech WeLab, which provides consumer loans in China and Hong Kong in a fully automated process that takes just minutes."

"I'm proud that ING also made important strides in our sustainability eff orts. We published our ambitions to reduce our carbon dioxide footprint, water usage and waste by 20% and have committed to procuring 100% renewable electricity for all our buildings, both by 2020. As part of our eff orts to helping our clients' transition to more sustainable operations, we ended the financing of new coal exploration and are reducing existing coal financing."

"ING Bank recorded an underlying net profit of EUR 4,219 million in 2015, which is 23.2% higher than in 2014. This improvement was primarily driven by higher interest results on the back of strong lending growth and lower risk costs, and despite a substantial increase in regulatory costs. ING Bank's full-year underlying return on equity rose to 10.8% from 9.9% in 2014. ING Bank's fourth-quarter 2015 underlying result before tax was EUR 1,202 million, reflecting continued positive momentum in both Retail and Wholesale Banking. Income grew, supported by volume growth and increased fees, and ING Germany delivered another record quarterly result."

"In 2015, we completed the divestment of Voya and significantly reduced our stake in NN Group, bringing us closer to completing our restructuring and consolidating our position as one of Europe's leading banks. Including the net result of the legacy Insurance businesses, ING Group posted a net result of EUR 4,010 million for the full-year 2015. The fourth-quarter 2015 net result of ING Group was EUR 819 million."

"Our capital position continued to strengthen and the fully-loaded CET1 ratios of ING Group and ING Bank were 12.7% and 11.6%, respectively, at year-end. We are pleased to propose a full-year 2015 dividend of EUR 0.65 per share, comprising the previously announced interim dividend of EUR 0.24 and a final dividend of EUR 0.41 per share. We are committed to maintaining a healthy Group CET1 ratio in excess of prevailing fully-loaded requirements, currently 12.5%, and to returning capital to our shareholders. We aim to pay a progressive dividend over time."

"ING's strategy is on track and I am proud of our achievements in 2015. I am confident that our franchise will continue to create sustainable long-term growth in 2016, while empowering our customers and delivering value to our shareholders."

Re-disseminated by The Asian Banker from ING