Intesa Sanpaolo files the best first quarter in its history with €2.61 billion in profits (+13.6%). The quarter's numbers make it possible to confirm estimates for the full year 2025 at more than €9 billion in profits, with "at least €8.2 billion being returned to shareholders," as CEO Carlo Messina put it. The banking group has not slowed its run despite the ECB's lower interest rate environment. Intesa offset the decline in interest income to €3.6 billion with an increase to €2.4 billion in fees thanks to its management, brokerage and advisory business, asset management, and insurance products. The numbers recorded allow the bank to confirm its leadership in Europe in terms of the proportion of commissions and insurance business to total revenues. This is also thanks to a customer advisory network with about 17,000 people dedicated to fueling the growth of asset management. Intesa can now consider itself "a leader in wealth management, protection & advisory with about €1.4 trillion in client financial assets," Messina says, explaining that it wants to "take advantage of the uncertainty that other players are experiencing to accelerate private banking". An orientation that saw, in the first quarter, the arrival of 150 private bankers from other competing groups.