LONDON, April 24 — Britain’s Lloyds Banking Group said Wednesday that net profit sank by almost a third in the first quarter of this year, hit partly by a significant increase in costs.

After-tax profit slid 29 per cent to £1.1 billion (US$1.4 billion) in the three months to March from £1.5 billion a year earlier, it said in a results statement.

Lloyds, the first major UK bank to log first-quarter numbers, added that operating costs jumped 11 per cent to £2.4 billion.

The lender’s performance was also dented by falling net interest income — which is the difference between what it generates from loans and pays out for deposits.

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“The group is continuing to deliver in line with expectations in the first quarter of 2024,” said Lloyds chief executive Charlie Nunn in the earnings release. — AFP