Dhaka, Aug. 21 -- Nearly 50 per cent of defaulted loans in Bangladesh's financial sector are linked to the manufacturing industries, according to the latest data from Bangladesh Bank. Economists warn that non-performing loans have become one of the biggest burdens on the country's banking system, with the leather, ready-made garments (RMG), textiles, shipbuilding, and shipbreaking industries among the hardest hit.
Bangladesh Bank's Financial Stability Report shows that, by December 2024, banks had disbursed Tk 17,11,138 crore in loans, of which 20.25 per cent (Tk 3,46,547 crore) had become non-performing. Almost half of these defaulted loans - 49.43 per cent - are concentrated in the manufacturing sector, which also received the largest sh...