Defaulted loans rise by another Tk 18,000 crore

Despite successive incentives for defaulters, non-performing loans in the banking sector have continued to climb. It rose by nearly Tk 18,000 crore in the June quarter and again passed the Tk 6 lakh crore mark. Non-performing loans first exceeded Tk 6 lakh crore in September last year.

Bangladesh Bank data show that defaulted loans stood at Tk 6,06,555 crore at the end of June, equivalent to 32.78 per cent of total loans. 

Three months earlier, at the end of March, the figure was Tk 5,88,704 crore, or 32.26 per cent. 

The increase over the quarter was, therefore, Tk 17,851 crore.

At the end of December, the total was Tk 5,57,217 crore. In the six months to June the rise amounted to Tk 49,338 crore. 

At the end of September last year, defaulted loans had reached Tk 6,44,415 crore, or 35.73 per cent of total loans.