ROE (return on equity) of the banking sector in Belgium 2000-2018

Belgium's banking industry had a stable average ROE between 2015 and 2018, reaching values from roughly eight to ten percent. The ROE or return on equity measures is one of several measures to look into bank profitability, in this case measuring income that returned as shareholder equity. Normally, ROEs of around 15 to 20 percent are considered good returns. That Belgian banks do not reach these numbers is probably due to low interest rates, as a consequence of the the monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB). For several years, this body maintained artificially low-interest rates in an effort to increase inflation on the European continent.