Human Contact Meets Digital Empowerment

ING is Betting on the Human Component in Digital Wealth

As personal banking evolves in Europe, ING is carving out a particular method that mixes digital innovation with private steerage. Treon says the financial institution’s philosophy is unified throughout all shoppers:

“Now we have one philosophy, one method, one conviction, one investments platform.”

ING defines personal banking as serving shoppers with belongings above €250,000 or €500,000 relying in the marketplace. Nonetheless, Treon emphasises that ING’s funding platform is designed for all shoppers, no matter their start line:

“The platform is layered in line with consumer wants and targets. Sophistication in investing is simplicity.”

Treon critiques the broader funding business for overcomplicating the method: the unique cash holders “typically didn’t ask for this stage of complexity,” suggesting that many monetary merchandise are pushed extra by institutional demand than consumer want.

With 5 million investing shoppers and €270 billion in invested belongings, ING handles vital scale. Within the first 9 months of 2025 alone, the financial institution earned €887 million in charges. Treon highlights the emotional aspect of investing:

“Investing is an emotional enterprise. Investing is a human being sitting at a kitchen desk his, her mates, household, family members, pets, no matter, eager about these intimate life moments and eager about what’s my life plan, what’s my recreation plan?”

ING goals to be current for shoppers’ life choices digitally, just about, and in particular person, focusing human interplay the place it issues most.

Fashionable Wealth: Bridging Digital and Human Steerage

ING’s personal banking technique bridges the hole between conventional, high-cost companies and absolutely digital, high-churn platforms. Treon prefers the time period “fashionable wealth” moderately than “center wealth,” reflecting a philosophy centered on fixing issues effectively utilizing the financial institution’s full toolbox.

The financial institution gives curated options for entrepreneurs, drawing on companies throughout banking, subscriptions, lending, mortgages, and investments. Digital instruments are central to this technique. Within the Netherlands, the “Roundup and Make investments” programme permits shoppers to speculate spare change robotically. Treon explains:

“You are mainly getting onto that wealth ladder by rounding up a few cents on the price of your espresso.”

Instruments like X-Ray enable shoppers to see precisely the place their cash is invested, together with publicity by geography, sector, and even particular corporations like Nvidia. The personal banking phase alone manages roughly €60 billion of ING’s €270 billion funding belongings.

Past investments, ING offers steerage on inheritance and intergenerational wealth transfers. Treon notes:

“We purpose to supply steerage in these conditions, addressing the ‘Head to Coronary heart method.’”

Addressing Misconceptions About Investing

Treon identifies a standard European false impression: that investing “is for another person.” Many consider they’re too younger, too previous, unfamiliar with markets, or already centered on their very own enterprise.

ING combats this via training, digital instruments, and private steerage. Spherical-up investing has confirmed significantly efficient for youthful generations, with near 10,000 activations in just one month within the Netherlands. Treon pushes again in opposition to the stereotype that younger traders solely search “quick cash” or crypto:

“If solely the ‘quick cash half’ of the business is speaking to them, it’s not shocking they’re fascinated by it.”

Gen X can be a vital demographic. Treon notes that intergenerational wealth transfers are predominantly going to child boomers and Gen X, who typically want steerage to navigate shocks affecting money stream.

Treon likens personal bankers to private trainers for long-term monetary well being, offering self-discipline, accountability, and emotional teaching:

“Let’s make a recreation plan collectively, which incorporates your monetary planning, your targets.”

By serving to shoppers keep invested, personal bankers allow long-term wealth compounding, traditionally doubling cash roughly each seven years within the S&P 500.

Europe’s Wealth Alternative

Treon is optimistic concerning the European wealth story however acknowledges structural challenges. About 25% of European family wealth is invested, in contrast with over half within the U.S. ING sees this as each a societal and particular person alternative.

“Europeans have already began to speculate. The query is the ‘how’.”

Whereas ING recognises fast-money methods like crypto, it emphasises long-term compounding as the muse. The financial institution goals to double its funding enterprise over the subsequent 5 years, focusing on a 15% CAGR.

“Our One app just isn’t for the Netherlands. Our one app is international. That is the facility of being scalable at ING.”

Treon factors out that Europeans have missed 25 years of wealth compounding in comparison with Individuals, a niche ING seeks to deal with via accessible, guided funding options.

Leapfrogging Innovation in Non-public Banking

ING’s technique is a “leapfrog” method, addressing consumer ache factors the place conventional banks or neo-banks fall quick. Treon cites personal markets for instance, the place shoppers typically battle with understanding investments, deployment timing, and liquidity constraints.

Execution is crucial, Treon accentuates, and ING has organised its personal banking pillar round motion:

“We’re not simply speaking. And in banking, that is not all the time one thing to take without any consideration.”

Effectiveness is measured by enterprise progress and consumer satisfaction, together with up to date NPS metrics benchmarked externally.

By combining expertise, scalable instruments, and human steerage, ING seeks to democratise personal banking, offering insights beforehand reserved for the wealthiest shoppers. Treon summarises the mission:

“We purpose to take part in shoppers’ life plan discussions digitally, just about, and humanly.”

Future Outlook

In a market polarised between digital-first neo-banks and conventional, unique personal banks, ING is carving a center path: empowering shoppers digitally whereas sustaining human contact at moments of fact.

Total, Treon is assured concerning the potential societal affect: mobilising wealth in Europe might help fight scepticism, conservatism, and monetary inertia. Via training, planning, and emotional steerage, ING helps shoppers climb the wealth ladder, one coffee-round-up at a time, whereas positioning itself as a contemporary personal banking chief in Europe.

“ING’s Leapfrog in Non-public Banking: Human Contact Meets Digital Empowerment” was initially created and printed by Non-public Banker Worldwide, a GlobalData owned model.

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