Standard Chartered Lifts Targets After Earnings

Standard Chartered raised its annual income and profitability forecasts on Wednesday after a sharp increase in third-quarter earnings, supported by strong wealth management activity and higher trading revenues across its international operations.

The London-headquartered bank reported pretax profit of $2.25 billion for the July-to-September period, representing a 27% increase from a year earlier and exceeding analysts' consensus estimate of $1.99 billion. Following the results, the lender raised its 2026 income growth forecast to more than 7%, against its previous guidance of between 5% and 7%.

Wealth management remained a major contributor, recording its third consecutive quarter of record performance as clients responded to volatile financial markets. Income from wealth solutions increased 26%, while global markets benefited from demand for foreign exchange and commodities products. Non-interest income rose 19% to approximately $2.81 billion, strengthening revenue streams less directly dependent on lending margins.

The performance reflects Standard Chartered's substantial exposure to Asian, African and Middle Eastern markets, where demand for cross-border financial services and investment products continues to support its business. The bank also increased its return on tangible equity target for 2026 to above 14%, compared with its earlier forecast of more than 12%.

The revised outlook suggests growing confidence in the lender's ability to translate international customer activity into stronger earnings. Nevertheless, maintaining this momentum will depend partly on investment demand and trading conditions as geopolitical tensions and monetary policy uncertainty influence financial markets.