The total interest income from Turkey's banking sector reached TL 75 billion ($21.2 billion) in the first quarter of 2017, according to data released by the Banking Regulatory and Supervision Agency (BDDK) on Friday.

The interest income rose 20.3 percent compared to TL 61.8 billion in the same period last year, the data showed.

The interest income for banks from loans in the first quarter of 2017 was TL 59.7 billion.

The total interest expenses for banks, paid to deposit holders, increased during the same period to TL 37.9 billion from TL 33.9 billion last year, up 11.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the net profit of Turkish banks climbed 59.2 percent in the first quarter, reaching TL 17.5 billion, up from TL 10.9 billion in the same period last year.