Agrani Bank has decided to suspend fresh loan approvals until December 2024 to improve its financial health. The bank will continue to provide limited support to existing clients for working capital, industrial modernization, and rehabilitation. It is focusing on recovering non-performing loans (NPLs) through intensified recovery drives, targeting 10,000 defaulters across its 1,000 branches. Additionally, the bank plans to reschedule classified loans and enhance liquidity inflows.
The chairman, Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed, noted that the bank’s NPL ratio has worsened to 36% by September 2024, from 11% in 2010. He emphasized the need for amendments to the bank companies act to improve governance and banking sector dynamism.