Nigerian banks earned N209.18bn from account maintenance charges in Q1 2026, as total fee and commission income rose to N984.47bn despite mixed performance across lenders.
Nigerian banks collectively earned N209.18bn from account maintenance charges in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 14.07 per cent increase from the N183.37bn recorded in the same period of 2025, according to an analysis of unaudited financial statements of 11 listed lenders. Total fee and commission income across the banks also rose to N984.47bn in Q1 2026 from N866.30bn in Q1 2025, reflecting a 13.64 per cent year-on-year growth.
The figures, compiled from 11 of the 13 banks listed on the Nigerian Exchange, excluded FCMB Group and Unity Bank, which had not yet released their unaudited first-quarter results. Account maintenance fees, regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, apply to current accounts and are designed to help banks recover transaction costs associated with account operations.
Zenith Bank recorded the highest account maintenance income at N25.07bn, while Ecobank Transnational Incorporated led in total fee and commission income with N237.80bn. Access Holdings, United Bank for Africa, and Guaranty Trust Holding Company also posted significant earnings, as several lenders recorded strong growth in fee income, although a few banks, including Fidelity Bank and Stanbic IBTC, reported slight declines in account maintenance-related earnings.
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