Nigeria, April 30 -- Access Bank's after-tax profit from January through March advanced 28.4 per cent to N52.6 billion, boosted by a moderate rise in gross earnings, the unaudited financial statements of Nigeria's biggest bank by asset showed on Thursday.

Gross earnings lifted to N222.1 billion from N209.8 billion a year earlier.

Net interest income stood at N81.4 billion, more than one-fourth bigger than the figure reported for the same period of last year, even though the income category was capped by impairment charge.

Charges for loan impairment rose by almost half to N12.6 billion, underscoring the forecast of credit rating agency Fitch that the impaired loans of the Nigerian banking industry would accelerate by between 10 to 12 p...