Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Nine major Nigerian commercial banks disbursed sixty-one point six nine trillion naira in customer loans and generated two point three one trillion naira in net interest income during the first quarter of 2025. Financial reporting for the period reveals a forty-one point seven two percent year-on-year increase in net interest earnings compared to the same period in 2024, largely driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria's aggressive monetary policy tightening that raised benchmark interest rates to twenty-seven point five percent to fight inflation. While overall credit expansion showed only a marginal rise relative to late 2024 figures, individual institutions including Zenith Bank, First Bank Holdings, Guaranty Trust Holding Company, and Stanbic Investment Banking & Trust Company Limited posted sharp surges in net interest profitability, reflecting the broader impact of elevated lending rates across the national banking sector.