Banks in Bangladesh have reported a significant increase in written-off loans during the first half of 2023. According to data from the Bangladesh Bank, loans worth Tk4,513 crore were written off between January and June, marking a 247% year-on-year rise.
Banks can only write off loans that have been classified as “bad” or “loss” for at least three years. By the end of June, the total written-off loans amounted to Tk67,721 crore, with a recovery of Tk20,828 crore, resulting in net written-off loans of less than Tk47,000 crore. Defaulted loans rose by Tk24,418 crore in the April-June quarter of this year, bringing the total default loan in the banking sector to Tk1,56,039 crore, or 10.11% of the total outstanding loans.
Additionally, Tk189,668 crore is stuck in 72,891 cases in money-loan courts, with most of these loans being in default and written-off categories. This situation has led to a lack of progress in debt recovery and an increase in the number of defaulters.