Overview

• Barclays posted a Q2 pre-tax profit of £2.5 billion, surpassing forecasts thanks to a trading income surge and expanded its H1 share buyback to £1 billion despite booking £1.1 billion in credit impairment charges.
• Standard Chartered lifted Q2 net profit by 54 percent to $1.8 billion, driven by cross-border trade and wealth management growth, and announced a $1.3 billion share repurchase programme.
• HSBC’s Q2 pretax profit fell 29 percent to $6.3 billion after a $2.1 billion write-down on its Bank of Communications stake and $900 million in Hong Kong real estate credit losses.
• US tariff announcements stoked market swings that boosted trading desks across the sector but also exposed lenders to higher credit charges and regulatory capital scrutiny.
• All three banks upheld robust capital return plans, executing over $6 billion in combined buybacks and maintaining or raising interim dividends for H1 2025.