Central Bank of India Q3 FY26: Profit up 32%, NPAs fall

What the bank reported for Q3 FY26

Central Bank of India (NSE: CENTRALBK) announced its unaudited standalone and consolidated results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025 (Q3 FY26). The bank reported a year-on-year jump in profit, along with improvement in asset quality indicators. Gross NPAs were reported at 2.70%, as highlighted in the performance summary shared alongside the results. The quarter also included a shareholder payout announcement through a third interim dividend for FY 2025-26.

The headline number for investors was the net profit of ₹1,263 crore in Q3 FY26, compared with ₹959 crore in Q3 FY25. Total income rose to ₹10,969 crore from ₹9,739 crore over the same period. Operating profit also improved to ₹2,293 crore versus ₹1,963 crore a year ago, indicating stronger operating performance in the quarter.

Profit growth and how it compares year-on-year

The bank reported net profit growth of 31.70% year-on-year in Q3 FY26, reaching ₹1,263 crore. This profit expansion came alongside higher total income and operating profit in the same quarter. Interest income in Q3 FY26 was ₹9,033 crore, up from ₹8,509 crore in Q3 FY25, reflecting a 6.20% rise.

While profit and operating profit moved up, the bank also reported a softer net interest margin compared with the previous year’s quarter. The results note that net interest margin eased to 2.96% in Q3 FY26 from 3.45% in Q3 FY25. Net interest income (NII) marginally declined to ₹3,502 crore from ₹3,540 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Sequential trend: Dec 2025 versus Sep 2025

Sequentially, the quarterly highlights page showed improvement across revenue, EBITDA, and net profit between Sep 2025 and Dec 2025. Revenue for Dec 2025 was ₹11,006 crore, compared with ₹10,283 crore in Sep 2025, a growth of 7.03%. EBITDA in Dec 2025 stood at ₹7,144 crore versus ₹6,955 crore in Sep 2025, up 2.71%.

Net profit for Dec 2025 was ₹1,264 crore compared with ₹1,219 crore in Sep 2025, representing growth of 3.72%. Separately, the page also listed “Net Profit - Last Quarter” at ₹1,264.94 crore, with the update date noted as Apr 22, 2026.

Asset quality: decline in NPAs

Asset quality improvement was one of the key themes in the bank’s Q3 FY26 update. Gross NPAs were reported at 2.70% in the performance summary. The same update positioned the profit rise as being supported by improved asset quality.

In earlier disclosed results for the March quarter of FY25, the bank had reported gross NPA at 3.18% and net NPA at 0.55%. While these are from a different quarter and financial year, they provide context that the lender has been reporting lower delinquency ratios over time in its disclosures.

Business scale and growth indicators

The Q3 FY26 summary stated that the bank’s total business expanded to ₹774,000 crore (₹7.74 lakh crore). The same note linked this expansion to growth in advances and deposits, though it did not provide the detailed split for Q3 within the text provided.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2025 (Q2 FY26), the bank had reported total business at ₹737,938 crore, and total deposits at ₹444,450 crore. These figures were disclosed as part of the bank’s Q2 FY26 operating update, along with key profitability and efficiency metrics for that quarter.

Nine-month performance through December 2025

For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, Central Bank of India reported net profit of ₹3,644 crore, compared with ₹2,752 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. This was stated as a 32.40% increase.

Total income for the nine-month period increased to ₹31,593 crore from ₹29,088 crore. The nine-month numbers matter because they show that the higher profitability was not limited to a single quarter but was reflected across the broader year-to-date period reported up to December.

Dividend: 2% third interim payout for FY 2025-26

The Board of Directors approved a third interim dividend for FY 2025-26 at the rate of 2%, which translates to ₹0.20 per equity share. The face value of each equity share was stated as ₹10.00.

In a separate dividend-focused disclosure, the bank said the board approved the dividend during a meeting held on January 16, 2026 in Mumbai. The same announcement set January 23, 2026 as the record date for determining shareholder eligibility, and noted that the intimation was made in line with SEBI requirements and shared with NSE and BSE.

Snapshot of key numbers

QoQ highlights from the quarterly page

Why the update matters for investors

The Q3 FY26 results combine three signals that investors usually track closely in public sector banks: profit trajectory, asset quality, and shareholder payout. Profit growth of about 32% year-on-year, alongside gross NPA at 2.70%, indicates that the quarter’s performance was linked to improving asset quality trends in the bank’s disclosures.

At the same time, NII and NIM numbers show that profitability expansion came even as margin metrics were softer than the year-ago quarter. The dividend declaration of ₹0.20 per share, along with the published record date of January 23, 2026, provided a defined timeline for investor eligibility.

Conclusion

Central Bank of India’s Q3 FY26 disclosures showed net profit of ₹1,263 crore on total income of ₹10,969 crore, with gross NPAs reported at 2.70%. The bank also declared a third interim dividend of 2% (₹0.20 per share) for FY 2025-26, approved on January 16, 2026, with a record date of January 23, 2026. Investors will track subsequent quarterly updates for how income growth, margins, and asset quality evolve from these reported levels.