What is a low cost to income ratio?
Emma Miller
Updated on January 04, 2026
The lower the cost to income ratio, the better the company’s performance. The cost to income ratio is primarily used in determining the profitability of banks. It depicts the efficiency at which the bank is being run. The lower ratio, the better, and it indicates more profitability of banks.
How is cost income ratio calculated?
The cost-to-income ratio is a key financial measure, particularly important in valuing banks. To get the ratio, divide the operating costs (administrative and fixed costs, such as salaries and property expenses, but not bad debts that have been written off) by operating income.
What is the best cost to income ratio?
What constitutes a high or low cost-to-income percentage depends on the business and the industry. In most industries, 50 percent is the maximum acceptable ratio.
What is meant by cost to income ratio?
Cost-to-income ratio is a key financial measure used to aid in the valuation of a bank. It is calculated by dividing operating costs by operating income, and as such a lower ratio indicates a more profitable bank.
How do you increase cost/income ratio?
1. Reduce Expenses – After reviewing your net income ratio, and seeing how your company’s expenses affect your bottom line, one of the best ways to improve this is to reduce costs.
- Reducing labor costs with outsourcing.
- Implementing more efficient operations by adopting technology solutions.
What is cost to income ratio of a bank?
Nigeria: Bank cost to income ratio, in percent The average value for Nigeria during that period was 63.23 percent with a minimum of 49.18 percent in 2016 and a maximum of 81.37 percent in 2009. The latest value from 2017 is 50.95 percent.
What is a good efficiency ratio?
An efficiency ratio of 50% or under is considered optimal. If the efficiency ratio increases, it means a bank’s expenses are increasing or its revenues are decreasing.
How can cost to income ratio be improved?
1. Reduce Expenses – After reviewing your net income ratio, and seeing how your company’s expenses affect your bottom line, one of the best ways to improve this is to reduce costs. Reducing labor costs with outsourcing. Implementing more efficient operations by adopting technology solutions.
Which is the ratio of return to cost?
ROI tries to directly measure the amount of return on a particular investment, relative to the investment’s cost. To calculate ROI, the benefit (or return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment. The result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.
What is a good efficiency ratio for a bank?
50%
The Efficiency Ratio for Banks Is: An efficiency ratio of 50% or under is considered optimal. If the efficiency ratio increases, it means a bank’s expenses are increasing or its revenues are decreasing.
How can a bank reduce its costs?
Because boosting revenue in the current environment will be difficult, banks must slash their costs. This will require simplifying offerings, digitizing operations, pursuing low-cost organic growth, and building scale through M&A and partnerships.
What is a standard hour?
A standard hour is the amount of work achievable, at the expected level of efficiency, in an hour.
What is efficiency ratio formula?
The efficiency ratio is calculated by dividing the bank’s noninterest expenses by their net income. This ratio is nothing more than a bank’s operating costs, referred to on a bank’s income statement as “noninterest expenses,” divided by its net revenue (a bank’s total revenue minus interest expense).
What is the formula for calculating return on investment?
ROI is calculated by subtracting the initial value of the investment from the final value of the investment (which equals the net return), then dividing this new number (the net return) by the cost of the investment, and, finally, multiplying it by 100.