Among the top performers, Zenith Bank recorded the largest absolute increase, earning $551 million, while First HoldCo earned $458 million.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Economist and Managing Director at Time Line Consult Limited, Shuaibu Idris, said that while the figures appear impressive, the high earnings must be viewed alongside operational costs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cNigerian banks have historically earned high interest income, so much so that the government at one point introduced a super profit tax for banks. However, expenditure is significant, covering electricity, operations, and delinquent debt,\u201d Idris explained. He noted that despite high income, dividend payouts often do not match the level of profitability seen in interest earnings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Idris suggested that earnings could remain sustainable even if interest rates decline.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cInflation has been high, peaking at around 36%, which justified high interest rates. With inflation now easing, interest rates may come down. However, banks are expected to maintain revenue by managing risk assets efficiently and meeting capital requirements set by the Central Bank of Nigeria,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Idris added that the sector is entering an era of capital increases, meaning banks will work to sustain returns for a growing shareholder base.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ability to generate $19 billion in interest income annually is likely sustainable, as banks adapt to changing interest rates while protecting profitability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12952,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-15128","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Nigerian banks collectively earned approximately $19 billion in interest income during the first nine months of 2025, driven by the country\u2019s persistently high-interest-rate environment, according to economists.","published_date":null,"news_description":"Nigerian banks collectively earned approximately $19 billion in interest income during the first nine months of 2025, driven by the country\u2019s persistently high-interest-rate environment, according to economists.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/15128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/15128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19501,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/15128\/revisions\/19501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=15128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}