12:36 - 9.09.2025

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September 9, Fineko/abc.az. In 2024, the volume of non-performing loans (NPLs) in Central Asian countries increased, but Azerbaijan’s indicator remained stable.

ABC.AZ reports, citing APA, that, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the total volume of problematic loans in the region grew by 12.3% compared to the previous year, reaching $4.6 billion. However, the average NPL ratio in Central Asia decreased slightly by 0.1 percentage points to 2.7%.

Country-level analysis indicates that Azerbaijan’s banking sector had a total of $0.39 billion in non-performing loans at the end of 2024. This represents a 6.6% increase compared to 2023. However, the share of NPLs in the total loan portfolio remained unchanged at 1.9%, one of the lowest ratios in the region.

Armenia recorded the best ratio at 1.2%, while Kazakhstan’s NPL share was 3.1%, and Uzbekistan’s stood at 3.9%.