Management argues that workforce reductions are necessary to lower costs and boost profits, potentially influencing the perceived value of a takeover.

AI-enabled workplace efficiency is expected to free about 10% of organizational capacity for redeployment into growth areas.

First-quarter 2026 results show improved performance, with operating income around 1.36 billion euros and a net surplus of roughly 913 million euros, beating both last year and market expectations.

CEO Bettina Orlopp and management say the bank is delivering a strong start to 2026 and that the revised Momentum 2030 strategy targets rising profits to at least 3.4 billion euros in 2026, 4.6 billion by 2028, and 5.9 billion by 2030.

The bank’s AI initiatives span automated KYC, AI-powered pricing for loans and deposits, fraud detection, and faster transaction monitoring, aiming to cut processing times by up to about 60%.

The transformation is planned to be gradual, including retirements to trim staff and targeted hiring in innovation, with 600 million euros earmarked for AI initiatives.

AI deployments include Ava, a virtual retail assistant handling around 30,000 inquiries monthly with over 70% resolved autonomously, and CobaGPT used by more than 14,500 employees.

Commerzbank plans to cut about 3,000 jobs and commit roughly 450 million euros to restructuring, part of a broader push to hit ambitious profitability targets and deter UniCredit's takeover bid.

The Works Council and Verdi union back the planned reductions as a less painful path than a takeover, while insisting that no one should lose their job against their will.

Verdi and the works council have reached interim agreements in negotiations, seeking to balance strategic aims with employee protections while preserving independence.

Commerzbank is expanding digital products, analytics, and AI-driven sales to boost productivity and value-based pricing, while reducing reliance on external resources.

Business Punk notes the AI push could improve client service and advisory time but warns about execution risk and the importance of sustaining the 21% target and CET-1 ratio for investment attractiveness.