ING has said it may cut state ties two years earlier than expected.
If the Dutch bank leaves state aid early, it will be one of the first victims of the Eurozone crisis to do so following the 2008 crisis. Most US banks managed to repay their bailouts in a matter of months, but many European institutions have been less fortunate.
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CEO Ralph Hamers said: "Under a new agreement with the European Commission, the total restructuring of ING Group will now be completed two years earlier, by the end of 2016."
ING reported better than expected third quarter results on Wednesday, announcing 101m ($135m) net profit. This allowed ING to pay off another instalment of government aid.
Like many other competitors, ING had to whittle down its overseas operations after being hit by the global crisis. The banking group shed businesses in Latin America, Asia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and the UK.
Chief financial officer Patrick Flynn said ING would reconsider the timetable for exiting its rescue package when the next portion is paid off in March.
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By GlobalDataHe said: "We would love to exit as quickly as possible while maintaining strong capital ratios.
"We don’t get a discount for paying early."
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