Adjusted operating profit for the period was 1.09 billion euros ($1.39 billion), in line with a mean forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts and up from 1.02 billion euros a year earlier.

The result and poll excluded gains of 378 million euros related to the sale of Nordea's stake in Nets Holding and a charge of 344 million euros to upgrade the bank's IT systems.

The bank has warned before of negative "headwinds" in Europe's economy, which it now said has been hit by geopolitical risk, but noted robust growth in the United States.

"Despite continued macro headwind, income is holding up well and we are clearly on track to deliver on our cost targets," CEO Christian Clausen said in a statement. "Credit quality continues to improve and the loan loss level is below the 10-year average."

Nordea aims to cut costs by 900 million euros between 2013 and 2015, and in the third quarter it reduced spending by 2 percent in local currencies to 1.172 billion euros compared to the previous quarter, it said.

Loan losses amounted to 112 million euros in the third quarter, below analysts' expectations of 152 million euros. Commission income, at 667 million euros, was below a Reuters forecast of 677 million euros.

Banks in the Nordic region have weathered the global financial crisis relatively well compared to European rivals and are still some of Europe's most profitable lenders.

Nordea's Swedish, smaller rival Handelsbanken reported third-quarter operating profit above expectations of 4.9 billion Swedish crowns ($678 million) on higher revenue in its loans portfolio.

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Sabina Zawadzki; Editing by Ryan Woo)