BIZ BUZZ: Will ING go back into retail banking?

After walking away from Philippine retail banking in 2022, is Dutch lender ING eyeing a return to the country’s fast-growing consumer finance space?

The numbers make a tempting case. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show outstanding retail loans of big banks jumped 21.4 percent to P1.9 trillion in 2025, buoyed by brisk credit card and auto lending.

So, could a comeback be in the cards for former clients who once raved about ING’s all-digital offering?

“Not at this moment, but never say never, I guess,” Marnix van Stiphout, ING’s chief operating officer and chief transformation officer, told Biz Buzz.

Van Stiphout acknowledged the lingering interest. “I understand there is interest in the Philippines towards ING coming back retail-wise,” he said.

For now, however, the Dutch giant appears content sticking to its wholesale knitting. “We have a good running wholesale banking business,” he added—suggesting that, at least for now, corporate clients will remain its focus.