Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Necessity in order to prepare the infrastructure for the future development of our economy because I believe that different types of economies need different types of energy infrastructure, data centers, et cetera, in order to be able to take the next step in its economic development. And I think that for Europe, this is extremely significant because a lot of the production in recent years was outsourced or went elsewhere, was relocated for various reasons. So there are various reasons for that. We don't need to go into this. But anyway, there's been a relocation, and we need to adapt. We need to open up new business segments where we have more know-how. And I think we still have a big benefit because I believe that the education and training here in Europe is still excellent, and it's available to many people. So we are optimistic, especially optimistic for our own region. Now I'd like to hand over to Stefan, who will focus on the other economic boundary conditions.

Thank you very much, Peter. A cordial welcome to you, ladies and gentlemen, here in the room and also online. Before continuing with the results, I'd like to come back to what Peter just said, namely the geopolitical situation around us, the technological transformation, transformation in general is something that you also described in your commentaries, and this