Dhaka, Nov. 27 -- The banking sector of the country has witnessed an unprecedented escalation in defaulted loans, which ballooned by Tk2.24 lakh crore within just six months to stand at Tk6.44 lakh crore by the end of September.

According to Bangladesh Bank figures released on Wednesday, the share of default loans in the total credit portfolio surged to 35.73poercent in September-up sharply from 24poercent in March. The banking sector's total outstanding loans currently amount to Tk18 lakh crore.

Defaulted loans, which were Tk2.85 lakh crore in September last year, more than doubled in the span of a year to reach the current Tk6.44 lakh crore.

The central bank noted that default loans were Tk4.20 lakh crore as recently as March. A Bang...