Banks' 2025 Profits Surge 47.8% to GH¢12.6bn in 10 Months

The banking industry in Ghana has seen a significant surge in growth, with an after-tax increase of 47.8% to GH12.6 billion in October 2025, compared to the same period last year.

According to the Banking Sector Development report by the Bank of Ghana, all income lines recorded growth in October 2025, with other income growing at 48.5% compared to 4.9% the previous year.

On a year-on-year basis, interest income moderated by 18.4% to GH37.1 billion in October 2025 from GH31.3 billion in October 2024. Net interest income saw a moderation of 17.9% to GH24.4 billion from 18.3% in October 2024.

Interest expenses slowed down by 19.5% to GH12.7 billion in October 2025 from a growth of 24.0 percent (GH10.1 billion) in October 2024. The growth in net interest income is attributed to the slowdown in interest expense due to lower interbank lending rates in October 2025 compared to October 2024.

Net fees and commissions recorded a slower growth of 8.6% from 26.0% a year ago. These developments resulted in a 24.0% growth in the industry’s net operating income in October 2025 compared with the 14.4% growth recorded in the previous year.

The cost lines also recorded increases in October 2025, with a marginal difference in growth rates. The industry’s operating expenses slowed down by 16.9% in October 2025, compared to 21.0% in 2024, due to a thin growth in staff costs and other operating expenses.

The provisions for depreciation, bad debt, and impairment losses on financial assets contracted by 56.7% in October 2025 compared to the 1.0% expansion recorded in October 2024.

The banking sector’s profitability indicators, namely, return-on-assets (ROA) and return-on-equity (ROE), improved during the period under review. The ROE increased from 31.2% in October 2024 to 32.2% in October 2025, while the ROA also increased to 5.8% from 5.0% over the same comparative period.

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