Finance in brief: Profits, markets, mortgages and the money stories making headlines

Lego profits

Lego reported a net profit of 8.6 billion Danish crowns (€1.15 billion) for the first half of 2026, an increase of 32.3 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Revenue reached a record 41.9 billion crowns (€5.6 billion), rising 21 per cent year-on-year, supported by strong sales across America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific and other regions.

The Danish toy group said that its performance continued to exceed growth in the global toy market, helping it gain market share.

Lego invested 4.6 billion crowns in new and existing factories and purchased 29 Lego and Legoland Discovery Centres.

German growth

Germany’s economy grew by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, slightly above initial estimates.

Exports were the main driver, rising 2 per cent, while imports increased by 1.5 per cent.

Growth remained below the eurozone rate of 0.4 per cent and the EU’s 0.5 per cent. Spain recorded growth of 0.7 per cent.

However, the Bundesbank warned that drought, low river levels and rising transport costs could slow Germany’s economic recovery.

Ryanair dispute

Ryanair has renewed its criticism of Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente, calling for lower airport charges to improve the competitiveness of Spain’s regional airports.

The airline rejected Puente’s suggestion that flight reductions were partly linked to aircraft shortages, saying its latest Boeing deliveries were completed in February.

Ryanair said none of those aircraft had been allocated to regional Spanish airports. It added that future aircraft could be deployed to Spain if regional airports become more competitive.

Bond opportunities

BlackRock Investment Institute is favouring short and medium-term government bonds, emerging market local currency debt and European high-yield credit for the next six to 12 months.

The investment group says shorter-term bonds offer attractive returns with lower duration risk, while concerns over public finances make longer-term debt less appealing.

More than 80 per cent of the global fixed-income market now offers yields above 4 per cent, providing investors with opportunities to secure income without taking excessive risk.

Chip flotation

Enflame Technologies, a Chinese artificial intelligence chip developer, is preparing to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The company aims to raise around 6 billion yuan (€770 million) through its initial public offering, with subscriptions beginning on September 2.

Enflame plans to use the funds for research and development, commercial expansion and strengthening its supply chain.

The company is one of China’s leading GPU developers and is backed by technology giant Tencent, which is also a major customer.

Winter gas

Europe could face its toughest winter gas season since 2022 as wholesale prices remain near three-year highs and storage levels stay unusually low.

EU gas storage was 62.99 per cent full on August 24, which is well below the five-year average of 79 per cent. Germany’s reserves were 51 per cent full, while the Netherlands stood at 44.3 per cent.

Higher wholesale prices could eventually increase household energy bills, although the impact varies between countries.

Consumer prices can respond within months in Spain, France and Italy, while the effect can take nearly a year in Germany and Austria.

AI expansion

Revolut has launched a research division focused on developing artificial intelligence for the financial sector.

Revolut Research will form part of the company’s AI department and work with academic and technology institutions on machine-learning systems.

The division will support Pragma, Revolut’s financial AI model developed with Nvidia. The company says Pragma has increased accuracy in detecting default risk and identified 65 per cent more fraudulent transactions.

Revolut also claims the technology has improved fraud alert accuracy by 17 per cent and made product recommendations 41 per cent more relevant.

The system processes transaction data from more than 80 million customers to identify financial behaviour patterns and assess risks.

Mercadona typeface

Mercadona has registered two typeface designs with the European Union Intellectual Property Office as part of its corporate identity strategy.

The Spanish supermarket chain says having its own lettering strengthens brand recognition and could reduce licensing costs.

Mercadona has previously registered typefaces and holds 297 trademarks and 236 designs protecting its corporate image.

Social travel

Social media increasingly influences holiday choices, with 39 per cent of tourists admitting they have visited a destination mainly to take photographs or videos, according to TUI Musement.

More than 43 per cent have booked a trip or activity after seeing content, while 37 per cent sometimes choose destinations made popular through Instagram.

Irish growth

Bankinter has surpassed 230,000 customers in Ireland seven years after entering the market, making Ireland a key growth market.

Its Irish lending portfolio has reached €5.2 billion, up 24 per cent annually, with more than €4 billion in mortgages.

First-half pre-tax profit reached €25 million, up 19 per cent.

Pension changes

Cabin crew in Spain could gain access to early retirement without pension reductions under changes sought by CCOO.

The union wants workers included among professions eligible to retire early without financial penalties. It argues occupational health risks justify the change. Early retirement normally carries pension reductions of up to 21 per cent.

US growth

America’s economy grew at an annualised rate of 1.5 per cent during the second quarter.

Growth slowed from 2.1 per cent in the first quarter. Consumer spending, exports and investment supported activity, while government spending fell.

The PCE inflation index, used by the Federal Reserve, reached 3.6 per cent.

Mortgage choice

Fixed mortgages are preferred by Spanish homebuyers, accounting for 61.7 per cent of new mortgages signed in June.

Variable mortgages represented 38.3 per cent, according to INE figures. Fixed mortgages carried an average initial interest rate of 2.89 per cent, compared with 3.07 per cent for variable loans.

Meta settlement

Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle claims by 29 US states that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users.

The company will introduce daily usage limits and restrict nighttime access for children. Meta denied wrongdoing. The settlement resolves privacy claims linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Robotaxi expansion

Waymo will expand its driverless taxi business into Munich next year, marking its first commercial operation in the European Union.

The Alphabet-owned company will begin mapping the city before launching services. Munich adds another international market for Waymo, which has completed more than 20 million journeys and 350 million autonomous kilometres.