Prime Business Africa
Sterling Financial Holdings Company, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Stanbic IBTC, Wema Bank and Ecobank are the top five best-performing banks in Nigeria by pretax profit growth in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025.
The five banks made it to the list out of the 11 commercial banks’ Q3 2025 financial statements analysed by Prime Business Africa (PBA).
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAnalysis showed that the 11 banks recorded N1.70 trillion profit before tax (PBT) between July and September 2025, compared to the N1.46 trillion recorded in the corresponding period in 2024, indicating a N233.55 billion increase.
Five Best-Performing Banks
Sterling Financial Holdings Company
Sterling Financial Holdings Company was the best-performing bank in the third quarter, following a 110.50 percent growth in the company’s profit before tax (PBT).
- According to the company’s financial statement, profit before tax increased from N12.07 billion recorded in the third quarter of 2024 to N25.41 billion during the corresponding period this year.
- The earnings report also showed that interest income climbed to N95.25 billion between July and September 2025, surpassing the N68.27 billion earned in the same period last year, representing an increase of 39.51 percent.
- Also, the company’s interest expense increased by 50.85 percent to N49.63 billion during the period under review, compared to the N32.89 billion incurred in Q3 2024.
- Consequently, Sterling Financial recorded a N45.62 billion net interest income in the third quarter of 2025, exceeding the N35.38 billion posted in Q3 last year, indicating a 28.96 percent growth.
FCMB
The second spot on the list was occupied by FCMB, after the financial institution closed the third quarter with a 100.46 percent year-on-year growth in pretax profit, which grew from N27.62 billion to N55.37 billion.
- In the same vein, the company’s interest income skyrocketed by 56.08 percent to N275.69 billion in Q3 2025, surpassing the N176,62 billion recorded in the third quarter last year.
- Similarly, FCMB recorded interest expense of N132.27 billion during the review period, against the N109.01 billion paid between July and September last year, reflecting a 21.33 percent increase.
- This led to the company closing the quarter with N143.41 billion net interest income, overshadowing the N67.60 billion notched up in Q3 2024, representing a 112.13 percent growth.
Stanbic IBTC
With a 91.77 percent growth in profit before tax, Stanbic IBTC was ranked the third best-performing bank, as pretax profit soared from N78.26 billion in Q3 2025 to N150.09 billion in the same period last year.
- Further checks showed that in the topline, Stanbic IBTC’s interest income jumped by 11.05 percent year-on-year, from N179.65 billion to N199.52 billion.
- However, the financial institution’s interest expense declined to N60.94 billion during the period under review, compared to the N102.10 billion incurred in Q3 2024, indicating a 40.30 percent decrease.
- As a result, Stanbic IBTC recorded a 78.68 percent growth in net interest income, which increased to N138.57 billion between July and September of this year, compared to last year’s N77.55 billion.
Wema Bank
Wema Bank was the fourth-best-performing financial institution with a 52.55 percent growth in the company’s profit before tax (PBT), according to Prime Business Africa’s analysis.
- The lender’s pretax profit had increased to N45.84 billion in the third quarter of 2025, surpassing the N30.05 billion recorded in the corresponding period last year.
- In addition, Wema Bank reported that interest income grew from N83.84 billion recorded between July and September last year, to N156.29 billion in the second-to-last quarter this year.
- While interest income increased by 86.41 percent year-on-year, interest expense grew by 21.08 percent, from N41.21 billion incurred in last year’s Q3 to N49.90 billion during the same period in 2025.
- This left Wema Bank with N106.39 billion net interest income for the period between July and September 2025, exceeding the N42,62 billion reached last year — indicating a 149.57 percent growth.
Ecobank
The top five list was completed by Ecobank, following a 47 percent year-on-year growth in the company’s profit before tax, which increased from N268.85 billion to N394.56 billion.
- Ecobank also closed the period under review with a 20 percent jump in interest income, after securing N841.67 billion, compared to the N700.80 billion recorded in the third quarter of last year.
- However, the lender reported a 3 percent decline in its interest income, which was N260.37 billion in Q3 2024, but slightly dropped to N253.59 billion in the same period this year.
- This supported the net interest income, as it increased to N588.07 billion in the third quarter of 2025, surpassing the N440.43 billion reached in the previous year’s Q3.
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Prime Business Africa is a business, economy and policy news platform founded in 2021 by veteran journalist and media scholar, Dr Marcel Mbamalu, after he left The Guardian as Editor.
Dr Mbamalu, who serves as Founder and Publisher, set up Prime Business Africa to deliver sharp, data-driven reporting on Nigeria’s markets, trade, investment, and governance trends for decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders.
He also writes The Bottom Line, a backpage column for Punch Newspaper every Thursday.
Under his leadership, Prime Business Africa combines deep newsroom experience with a focus on accountability journalism, aiming to bridge information gaps between Africa’s private sector and the global economy.
