Emerging market banks profit growth

In mid‑July 2026, Nepal’s commercial banks posted a combined net profit of Rs 64.56 billion for the first 11 months of FY 2025/26, a 19.6% rise over the prior year. Fourteen of the 20 ‘A’-class banks recorded profit growth, with Nabil Bank leading at Rs 8.49 billion. Margin loans surged to a record Rs 162.9 billion, driven by ample liquidity and flexible policies; commercial banks supplied more than 85% of these loans.

A week later, Nigeria’s micro‑finance sector reported a dramatic expansion, with total balance‑sheet assets climbing from under N300 billion to over N6 trillion over five years. At the NAMB AGM, the sector’s loan portfolio was N2.4 trillion and deposits N4.3 trillion as of March 2026. Individual micro‑finance banks such as NPF Microfinance Bank posted a 7.7% increase in pre‑tax profit to N3.20 billion for the six months to 30 June 2026, while assets grew 15.9% to N61.70 billion. Both countries illustrate a broader pattern of profit gains and loan‑market expansion among banks in emerging economies.