The top 10 defaulters, led by Jaj Bhuiyan Group and Bashundhara Group, accounted for Tk 8,287 crore in classified loans — nearly 30 per cent of Agrani Bank’s total non-performing loans as of December 2024, according to official data.
Jaj Bhuiyan Group and Bashundhara Group alone held Tk 3,363 crore in defaulted loans, representing about 12 per cent of the bank’s total bad loans.
In December, 2024, Agrani Bank’s total non-performing loans stood at Tk 27,932 crore or 38 per cent of total outstanding loans.
Zakia Group and Jaj Bhuiyan Group, considered a single group led by the same family, topped the list with combined defaults of Tk 2,304.6 crore. Of the amount, Zakia Group held Tk 1,212.6 crore while Jaj Bhuiyan Group held Tk 1,091.5 crore of default loans at the bank.
Bashundhara Multi Food Products Ltd and Bashundhara Multi Paper Industries Ltd defaulted on Tk 535.42 crore and Tk 524.2 crore respectively, placing Bashundhara Group second on the list of top defaulters.
Tanaka Group ranked third with Tk 926.3 crore in defaulted loans, followed by Magpie Knitwear with Tk 726 crore, Dhaka Hide & Skins Ltd with Tk 619 crore, Prime Composite Mill with Tk 593 crore, Sattar Group with Tk 550 crore, Moon Group with Tk 524 crore, Sonali Group with Tk 521 crore, and Aristocrat Group with Tk 462 crore.
Agrani Bank officials said that, apart from Bashundhara Group, major clients such as Beximco Group and Orion Group are also nearing default status at the bank.
Managing director and CEO Md Anwarul Islam told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that the bank has made repeated efforts to recover loans from top defaulters, but most remain unresponsive.
If they continue to avoid repayment, the bank will have no choice but to pursue legal action and move to auction their mortgaged properties, he said.
Anwarul added that Agrani Bank recovered Tk 1,538 crore in bad loans in the six months ending June 2025.
Deposits also rose significantly — up by Tk 9,769 crore to Tk 1,09,001 crore in June, from December 2024 levels. The bank aims to raise deposits to Tk 1.20 lakh crore by the end of 2025.
‘We currently have zero NPLs at 88 branch offices and plan to eliminate NPLs at another 73 branches by year-end,’ he said.
He also expressed optimism that ongoing recovery measures would help gradually reduce the bank’s NPL burden.
Bank officials also said that several large borrowers had rescheduled their loans to avoid being classified as defaulters.
Apart from the top ten defaulters, PowerPac-Mutiara of Sikder Group defaulted with Tk 456 crore, Pacific Group Tk 457 crore, Saad Musa group Tk 410 crore, Sahaba Yarn Tk 374 crore, Advance Composite Textile Tk 317 crore, Ambient Composite Textile Tk 310 crore, Aftab Auto Mobile Tk 277 crore and Navana group Tk 272 crore.
