Banking & Finance
Deutsche Bank May Cut Bonuses If Revenue Stalls, CFO Says
Deutsche Bank AG may cut bonuses if its revenue fails to grow, Chief Financial Officer James von Moltke said on Monday.
Variable compensation is one of several areas the lender has earmarked for further possible savings if necessary to achieve its profitability target, von Moltke said on a conference call with fixed-income investors. The reductions could be made if a challenging market environment makes it impossible for the bank to grow its top line, he indicated.
Deutsche Bank has seen eight consecutive quarters of falling revenue amid an effort by Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing to boost profitability. While Sewing cut costs more than expected last year, that was outpaced by a fall in revenue, making it the number one concern for analysts and investors. The bank expects to see growth in 2019 but that depends on markets being relatively benign, it said on Friday.
Read: Deutsche Bank Said to Get Qatari Commitment for More Funds
Deutsche Bank is planning to slash bonuses for 2018 by at least 10 percent, though a final decision depends on the fourth quarter performance, people familiar with the matter have said. Revenue at the investment bank — which accounts for the lion’s share of the bank’s bonuses — dropped 5 percent in the final quarter, falling short of the consensus forecast and leading to a full-year pretax return on tangible equity of 0.9 percent for the unit, half of last year’s result.
Increasing revenue at Deutsche Bank this year will be challenging, given the continuing under performance of the investment bank, Berenberg analysts including Eoin Mullany wrote in a note on Monday. They consider the prospect of flat revenue in 2019 “optimistic,” according to the note.
The bank is likely to award less than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in total bonuses, down from about 2.2 billion euros in 2017, people familiar with the matter said last month.
Shifting its cash pile held with the European Central Bank into higher-yielding assets is one way Deutsche Bank wants to achieve revenue growth. The plan, which it developed with the advisory arm of Cerberus Capital Management, could end up adding as much as 300 million euros to the top line von Moltke said on the Monday call. The bank may invest some of the money in peripheral sovereign bonds, he said.
-
Leaders Speak2 months agoDhofar International Development and Investment Company: Driving Sustainable Growth and Strategic Synergies in Oman’s Investment Landscape
-
Economy1 month agoMaal Card: What Oman’s New National Payment Card Means for Everyday Users
-
Events2 months agoOER Corporate Excellence Awards 2025 Honours Entities and Innovations in Oman
-
Arts and Culture2 months agoOminvest and Bait Al Zubair Launch “Future Frames” to Empower Youth through Art and AI
-
News1 month agoSheikh Suhail Bahwan, Chairman of Suhail Bahwan Group, Passes Away
-
Economy1 month agoOman Unveils Official Omani Rial Symbol in Landmark Move to Boost Global Currency Presence
-
News1 month agoOIG Appoints New CEO to Lead Its Next Chapter of Excellence
-
News4 weeks agoReport: How India & The Middle East Are Exploiting Immense Economic Synergies

You must be logged in to post a comment Login