New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday handed over a dividend cheque of Rs 8,813 crore for the financial year 2025-26 to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The dividend cheque was presented by SBI Chairman C S Setty to the Finance Minister.

'Smt Nirmala Sitharaman receives a dividend cheque of Rs 8,813 crore for FY 2025-26 from Shri C S Setty, Chairman, SBI,' the Ministry of Finance said in a post on X.

The dividend payout comes after the country's largest lender reported a strong financial performance for FY26.

Earlier, SBI's Central Board, at its meeting, declared a dividend of Rs 17.35 per equity share for the year ended March 31, 2026.

The Government of India holds an approximately 55 per cent stake in SBI, making it the largest shareholder in the bank.

SBI reported a net profit of Rs 80,032 crore for FY26, registering a growth of 12.88 per cent year-on-year.

For the fourth quarter of FY26, the bank posted a net profit of Rs 19,684 crore.

The bank's operating profit for FY26 rose 11.25 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1,23,015 crore, reflecting strong business growth and operational performance.

SBI's return on assets (ROA) for FY26 stood at 1.12 per cent, while return on equity (ROE) was reported at 18.57 per cent.

The bank's net interest income (NII) for FY26 increased by 4.08 per cent compared with the previous year.

The whole bank net interest margin (NIM) for FY26 stood at 2.91 per cent, while the domestic NIM was 3.03 per cent.

For the fourth quarter of FY26, the whole bank NIM was reported at 2.81 per cent and the domestic NIM at 2.93 per cent.

SBI's overall business crossed Rs 109 trillion during FY26. The bank's total deposits stood at Rs 59.8 trillion, while advances reached Rs 49.3 trillion during the year. Its agriculture portfolio also crossed the Rs 4 trillion mark, highlighting continued growth in lending to the farm sector. On the asset quality front, SBI reported further improvement in non-performing assets.

The gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio improved by 33 basis points year-on-year to 1.49 per cent, while the net NPA ratio improved by 8 basis points to 0.39 per cent.

The dividend payout to the government comes amid the bank's strong profitability, business growth and improvement in asset quality during FY26. (ANI)