Instabank ASA – Record growth and profitability mark strongest Q1 ever
Instabank ASA reports a strong first quarter of 2026, marked by record-high organic lending growth, continued momentum in the German credit card business, and solid profitability supported by improving operational efficiency.
Highlights Q1 2026: - Record-high organic lending growth of MNOK 671 (+7.9% QoQ), with gross lending reaching MNOK 9,167, driven by strong performance across all segments.
- Accelerating growth in German credit cards, with lending increasing by MNOK 270 in the quarter to MNOK 698, confirming strong traction in Europe’s largest market.
- Profit after tax of MNOK 32.7, up 41.6% year-on-year from MNOK 23.1 in Q1 2025, demonstrating continued solid profitability and earnings capacity. Improved cost efficiency, with cost-to-income ratio reduced to 41% (–5pp YoY), reflecting strong operating leverage.
- Diversified growth across segments, with continued expansion in unsecured consumer lending, mortgages, and business lending.
Operational and strategic progress: Instabank continues to benefit from its diversified business model, combining high-growth segments, such as German credit cards, with stable, profitable segments, such as mortgages and business lending. The German credit card portfolio remains the fastest-growing product and a key driver of future growth.
Outlook: Instabank has entered 2026 from a position of strength, with a solid capital base and scalable platform. The bank reiterates its lending growth target of MNOK 3,000–3,500 for 2026 and expects profit after tax in the range of MNOK 160–185.
Comment from CEO Robert Berg: “We have started 2026 with strong momentum, delivering record lending growth and continued solid profitability. The rapid scaling of our German credit card business demonstrates the strength of our platform and our ability to capture growth opportunities in large European markets. Combined with improving efficiency and a well-capitalised balance sheet, this positions us well to deliver on our ambitions for 2026.”
For further details, please refer to the full Q1-2026 interim report attached to this message.
Contacts: Robert Berg, CEO – robert.berg@instabank.no Per Kristian Haug, CFO – perkristian.haug@instabank.no
This information is subject to disclosure requirements under section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.