What is the largest source of income for banks?
The major source of revenue for most banks is from deposits and loans. As a customer deposits money, the amount of money minus the required reserve is used to lend to others, which will be repaid with interest. The interest generated is extra money on top of the original amount loaned.
Interest income is the primary way that most commercial banks make money. As mentioned earlier, it is completed by taking money from depositors who do not need their money now. In return for depositing their money, depositors are compensated with a certain interest rate and security for their funds.
Banks pay depositors less than they receive from borrowers, and that difference accounts for the bulk of banks' income in most countries. Banks can complement traditional deposits as a source of funding by directly borrowing in the money and capital markets.
However, the largest source of income for the banks lies in the spread between the Active Interest Rate (which borrowers of funds paid to the bank) and the Passive Interest Rate (which banks must pay to their savers or depositors).
Commercial banks make money by providing and earning interest from loans such as mortgages, auto loans, business loans, and personal loans. Customer deposits provide banks with the capital to make these loans.
The major source of revenue for most banks is from deposits and loans. As a customer deposits money, the amount of money minus the required reserve is used to lend to others, which will be repaid with interest.
- Question: A bank's largest source of funds is its A. commercial paper. B. borrowing from the Fed. C. federal funds. D. deposits. ...
- There are 2 steps to solve this one. Answer: D. Deposits. A bank's largest source of funds typically comes from the deposits it receives f...
A few of the biggest U.S.-based, independent funds of funds include Hamilton Lane, HarbourVest Partners, Pathway Capital Management, Fort Washington Investment Advisors, AlpInvest Partners, and Adams Street Partners.
A bank's main sources of funds are its own capital, reserves, retained earnings, liquid assets, and borrowed funds in the form of various deposit accounts.
Company Name | Net Profit (Rs Cr) |
---|---|
State Bank of India | 21736.5 |
HDFC Bank Ltd | 18627.4 |
ICICI Bank Ltd | 13906.0 |
Axis Bank Ltd | 7613.5 |
What area of banking makes the most money?
- Investment Banker. The highest position in a bank starts with being an investment banker. ...
- Hedge Fund Manager. ...
- Risk Manager. ...
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO) ...
- Foreign Exchange Trader. ...
- Private Equity Associate. ...
- Compliance Officer. ...
- Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Consultant.
As a last resort, the Federal Reserve maintains a service called the discount window, where it lends money to banks at a higher interest rate than they charge between themselves.

The Bottom Line
Banks accept deposits from consumers and businesses and pay interest in return. They use deposits to issue loans and earn interest. A bank generates income when the interest it earns from loans exceeds the interest paid on deposits.
The main source of income for banks is the difference between interest rate charged from borrowers and what is paid to depositors.
The number one source of revenue for a bank based on dollar volume is loan income. In looking at comparative balance sheets, it can be seen that large banks rely more heavily on nondeposit borrowings while small banks rely more heavily on deposits.
Key Takeaways. In fiscal year (FY) 2024, the largest source of federal revenue was Individual Income Taxes (49.3% of total revenue). So far in fiscal year 2025, the largest source of federal revenue is Individual Income Taxes (51.6% of total revenue).
Person | Wealth | Key investments |
---|---|---|
1. Elon Musk | $402 billion | Tesla, SpaceX |
2. Mark Zuckerberg | $248 billion | Meta Platforms |
3. Jeff Bezos | $247 billion | Amazon, Blue Origin |
4. Larry Ellison | $205 billion | Oracle |
Personal Income Tax (PIT) remains the largest contributor to tax revenue with contribution share of 35.7%. The tax-to-GDP ratio showed an increase from 23.7% in 2018/19 to 25.1% in 2022/23; The cost ratio of revenue collection decreased from 0.84% in 2018/19 to 0.71% in 2022/23.
Making Money from Loans
They earn a lot from interest on different kinds of loans like personal, home, car, and small business loans. The interest rates on these loans are usually higher than what the banks offer on deposits, which allows banks to earn more money.
Credit unions are owned and controlled by their members. Member-elected volunteer board of directors manage credit unions.
How do banks primarily make money?
At their core, banks make money in two main ways -- commercial banking and investment banking. Commercial banking refers to products like checking accounts, auto loans, and mortgages. Investment banking refers to services like corporate transactions and wealth management.
Certificates of deposit typically offer the highest interest rates compared with money market accounts and savings accounts.
The primary source of revenue for the U.S. government in 2024 was Individual Income Taxes.
1. JPMorgan Chase Bank — $3.58 trillion. New York, NY-based JPMorgan Chase is the largest US bank with total assets of $3.58 trillion.