Commerzbank aims to convince investors that it has a future as an independent bank through further job cuts and ambitious profit targets. The strategy presented on Friday foresees the elimination of around 3'000 additional full-time positions across the group by 2030, on top of the savings measures already announced.

At the same time, the bank plans to create jobs «in growth and future-oriented areas». At the end of 2025, Commerzbank employed just under 40'000 full-time staff worldwide.

Back in February 2025, Commerzbank had already announced plans to cut 3,900 full-time positions by the end of 2027, most of them in Germany. At the time, the DAX-listed group also said it intended to expand staffing at its Polish subsidiary mBank and at locations in Asia.

Higher Profit in the First Quarter

The bank also published its quarterly results. In the first three months of 2026, operating profit rose to around 1,36 billion euro, while net profit increased to 913 million euro. Both figures were around 10 percent higher than in the same period a year earlier.

As part of its revised strategy, Commerzbank now expects higher profits for 2026 than previously forecast. The bank is targeting net profit of at least 3,4 billion euro, which is 200 million euro more than previously planned. It is aiming for 4,6 billion euro by 2028 and 5,9 billion euro by 2030.

Last year, profit reached 2,6 billion euro and only narrowly missed the record level of 2024, when earnings had amounted to almost 2,7 billion euro, despite high costs related to the ongoing restructuring programme.

The strategy update and higher profit targets can be seen as a response to comments made by UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel. He recently criticised what he described as Commerzbank’s «subpar operating performance» over recent years.