Default loans in the banking sector of Bangladesh hit an all-time high of Tk 182,295 crore, but no reform programme to reduce it has been announced in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Bad loans rose by Tk 36,367 crore in just three months

The Bangladesh Bank yesterday unveiled its roadmap for reining in the runaway defaulted loans to a reasonable level and bringing in good governance to the banking sector, which is progressively becoming an Achilles heel of the economy.

Bangladesh’s banking sector has the second-highest ratio of non-performing loans (NPL) among the countries in South Asia as lenders continue to face multiple challenges emanating from scams, a lack of corporate governance and borrowers’ growing reluctance to make instalments regularly.  

Four state-run commercial banks registered 29 per cent year-on-year spike in bad loans in 2022 as the central bank’s relaxed classification rules introduced in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak ended and their inefficient lending persisted. 

Misgovernance, corruption, nepotism and subsequent bad debts keep plaguing our banking landscape.

The Bangladesh Bank’s policy that allows defaulters longer repayment tenures and easy terms and access to fresh funds has appeared to have failed to make major inroad in bringing down bad debts as rescheduled loans are even turning sour. 

There are two major economic problems that have been plaguing Bangladesh for a long time: Rising non-performing loans (NPLs), and money getting laundered out of the country.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal today told the parliament that as of March this year, the amount of defaulted loans in the country was Tk 126,369 crore.

State-run Janata Bank’s provisioning shortfall has hit a whopping Tk 8,256 crore, the highest-ever deficit for any bank in the country, putting depositors’ money at risk.