La Jornada: New profit record for banks in January-April

In the midst of a panorama of low economic projections, the group of private banks operating in Mexico obtained profits of 104,740 million pesos between January and April, an unprecedented figure for a similar period since there are records, reported the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV).

The figure is 4.4 percent higher in nominal terms – without discounting inflation – but 0.04 percent lower in real terms – already with the indicator discounted – if compared to the 100,323 million reported in the same period, but last year, according to available data.

During April alone, the profits obtained by these financial intermediaries totaled 24,071 million pesos, which represented a decrease of 0.65 percent in nominal terms, and a drop of 4.88 percent in reais, compared to the 24,229 million reported in the fourth month of 2025.

The eight banks of systemic importance –those that, in the event of bankruptcy, would put the stability of the financial system at risk–, which are BBVA México, Banorte, Santander, Banamex, Inbursa, Scotiabank, HSBC and Citi México, obtained joint profits of 87,867 million pesos between January and April 2026.

This amount represented 83.9 percent of the total profits reported by the multiple banking sector. Compared to the 67,826 million pesos they earned in the same period of 2025, the profits of these financial companies increased 29.55 percent in nominal terms. When discounting inflation, growth was approximately 24.04 percent in real terms.

Income from interest and most requested credits

The financial margin, which mainly results from the difference between the interest charged to debtors and those paid to savers, stood at 326,351 million pesos between January and March of this year.

The figure was 6.02 percent higher in real terms when compared to the 294,701 million pesos reported in the same period of the previous year.

Interest income totaled 576,392 million, which meant a decrease of 10.11 percent in real terms compared to 613,878 million in 2025.

In contrast, interest expenses stood at 250,041 million pesos, a real reduction of 25 percent compared to 319,177 million from January to April 2025.

Meanwhile, the total credit portfolio of private banks reached a balance of 8 trillion 279 thousand 960 million pesos, a figure 1.94 percent higher in real terms when compared to the 7 trillion 776 thousand 464 million registered the previous year. In the financing portfolio, consumer loans maintained the greatest dynamism. Its balance stood at one trillion 954 thousand 525 million pesos, which represented a real annual growth of 7.19 percent compared to the trillion 745 thousand 720 million reported 12 months ago, according to information from the CNBV.