An economy cannot maintain credit discipline when offenders are repeatedly rewarded rather than punished. When such rewards become the norm, borrowers start to feel less obligated to repay.

At the end of June this year, bad loans in the banking sector stood at Tk 6,06,555 crore, which is 32.78 percent of the total disbursed loans

Finance ministry tells mission new pay scale starts in July

Not only wilful defaulters, poor lending practices and undue influence, but also macroeconomic factors have contributed to the rise in bad loans in Bangladesh’s banking sector, according to a new study by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has set a target to reduce non-performing loans (NPLs) to 25 percent from the current 36 percent by March, according to senior bankers.

At the end of 2024, one-fifth of the total loans in the banking sector turned sour, mainly as the true extent of embezzlement by willful defaulters is now coming to light.

Distressed loans at banks totalled over Tk 4.75 lakh crore at the end of 2023 – a revelation that makes for a sobering read of the actual health of this vital sector of the economy.

The system of selling insurance services to bank customers will ultimately expand financial inclusion.

More than Tk 92,000 crore have been siphoned out of the banking sector through 24 major loan scams since 2008, according to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

Political support and a strong Bangladesh Bank are crucial to deal with the challenges, including high non-performing loans (NPLs), in the banking sector, said Mustafa K Mujeri, a former chief economist of the central bank, yesterday.

They were also asked to submit a work plan

Although most non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in Bangladesh are struggling with a high rate of non-performing loans (NPLs), some of them are bucking the trend by maintaining a lower ratio.

Nearly half of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) saw a third of their loans turn into non-performing ones at the end of March 2023, which gives an indication of the tough times the sector was going through mainly due to massive irregularities in 8 to 10 companies. 

Appellate Division’s observation on defaulted loans is right on the mark

At a time when almost all of the local banks in Bangladesh are grappling with higher non-performing loans (NPLs), most foreign lenders have been able to keep the default rate in check.

It increased by Tk 10,954 crore to hit Tk 131,621 crore in March

Let’s think of some out-of-the-box ways to tackle even the most formidable of problems.

Interventions must involve fiscal policy to address our fundamental economic issues

Interventions must involve fiscal policy to address our fundamental economic issues

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal says there will be no non-performing loan (NPL) from as Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) is going to take necessary measures to check the loans.