Non-performing loans (NPLs) in the country’s banking sector hit a record Tk 1,20,656 crore at the end of December last year, mainly due to the withdrawal of relaxed repayment facilities for loans.
Bad loans rose by Tk17,383 crore in the last one year, as the NPLs stood at Tk 1,03,273.78 crore at the end of December of 2021, show latest data from the Bangladesh Bank.
Industry insiders say the borrowers were enjoying easier loan repayment facilities during 2020 and 2021 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but those facilities have now ended, which had the adverse impact of pushing up the bad loans.
They added that some borrowers are now facing difficulties in repaying loans due to the ongoing stress in Bangladesh’s economy, while some borrowers are not repaying the loans deliberately.
NPLs accounted for 8.16 per cent of the total disbursed loans of Tk 14,77,788.76 crore, recorded at the end of December last year.
