NMB’s nine-month profit rises 17% as Tanzania lending book expands

Sunday 1st November 2026

By inAfrika Newsroom

NMB Bank’s group profit after tax rose to TZS 634.6 billion in the nine months ended 30 September 2026, compared with TZS 543.3 billion a year earlier. The increase of 16.8% provides a current measure of earnings at one of Tanzania’s major lenders, rather than a forecast for the final quarter.

Les bank’s third-quarter financial statement reports group net interest income of TZS 1.044 trillion, against TZS 879.5 billion in the comparable period. Fee and commission income increased to TZS 449.6 billion from TZS 351.5 billion, showing that the earnings improvement extended beyond the interest business.

Group assets stood at TZS 19.31 trillion at September’s close, compared with TZS 18.44 trillion at the end of June. These balance-sheet figures compare successive quarters; the nine-month profit comparison uses the corresponding period of 2025.

Net loans and advances reached TZS 12.07 trillion, while customer deposits were TZS 12.96 trillion. The reported ratio of non-performing loans to gross loans remained 2.5%, although nine-month impairment losses rose to TZS 86.5 billion from TZS 65.4 billion.

The difference matters when assessing capacity to serve businesses. A larger lending book can support more activity, but the accounts do not establish which individual farms, processors or manufacturers received funding, or whether their borrowing became cheaper.

Credit quality also needs to be read alongside growth. The non-performing-loan ratio describes the share of problematic loans, while impairment charges reflect provisions recognised through earnings; a stable ratio does not mean credit losses have disappeared.

Businesses assessing finance therefore still need to examine repayment schedules, collateral requirements and total borrowing costs. As InAfrika’s coverage of fisheries finance illustrates, the practical ability to qualify for a loan is a separate question from the banking sector’s overall capacity.

NMB’s next reporting period will show how the final quarter changes full-year earnings and credit conditions. The September accounts offer a dated snapshot of funding and lending, rather than evidence that every part of Tanzania’s productive economy is experiencing the same conditions.

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