ABN Amro cuts 1,500 positions in 2025; 30% of planned 5,200 layoffs complete

ABN Amro pressed ahead in 2025 with a sweeping restructuring designed to boost profitability under CEO Marguerite Bérard. So far, around 1,500 full-time positions have been eliminated, representing about 30 percent of the 5,200 roles set to disappear by 2028.

After assuming her role last year, Bérard unveiled the job cuts in November, noting that roughly 1,000 positions had already been eliminated. During the fourth quarter alone, the workforce shrank by 580 employees.

ABN Amro had a workforce of over 23,000 employees by the close of last year, alongside 2,200 external hires. Much of the planned reduction is to be achieved through attrition, such as leaving vacant positions unfilled when staff depart.

Bérard has argued that AI will be able to assume part of the workload currently handled by employees. In anticipation of that shift, the bank is also bringing more IT activities in-house instead of relying on outside contractors.

ABN Amro’s operating expenses increased by 3 percent last year. At the same time, interest revenues fell, in part as a result of interest rate reductions by the European Central Bank (ECB). Annual net earnings totaled just under 2.3 billion euros, marking a 6 percent decline compared with 2024. The lender will set aside 500 million euros to repurchase its own shares and distribute dividends to investors.

Bérard described the global geopolitical climate over the past year as “volatile,” yet loan-loss provisions in 2025 were kept to just 20 million euros. She added that ABN Amro largely depends on the Dutch economy, whose macroeconomic fundamentals have stayed “robust.”

For some time, ABN Amro’s expenses have been high compared with its revenues. Bérard aims to reverse that trend over the next few years.

Last September, ABN Amro introduced BUUT, a digital banking platform targeting younger customers, created by the team responsible for the Tikkie payments app. Although the brand is still in its early stages and customer numbers have not been disclosed, Bérard said it has been positively received and is meeting expectations to date.

In the fall, the bank unveiled plans to acquire smaller rival NIBC Bank in a transaction worth almost 1 billion euros. The bank aims to finalize the deal later this year, marking one of the biggest banking acquisitions in the Netherlands in recent years.