The Bank of Mozambique (BdM) revealed that more than 14% of credit granted by Banco Comercial e de Investimentos (BCI), led by Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), was in default in the last quarter of 2025, adding that other banks also had ratios above the 5% recommended by the regulator.
“Banco Comercial e de Investimentos has a non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of 14.18%, compared to 13.89% in the previous quarter, but with 20.76% of this amount covered,” the central bank describes in its report on Prudential and Economic-Financial Indicators from October to December.
Millennium bim, one of the largest banks in the country and led by Portugal’s BCP, saw its non-performing loan ratio rise in the fourth quarter of the year from 2.69% to 3.62%, with a coverage ratio of 88.94%.
“In the third quarter, Ecobank had 78.54% of its loans in default. Meanwhile, Malawi’s FDH Bank confirmed at the end of last September that it had completed the acquisition of Ecobank Mozambique, which it now leads with a 98.87% share. The institution, which will officially be renamed FDH Bank Mozambique as of February 20, now has an NPL volume of only 1.62%, with no explanation in the document for this reduction,” clarified the BdM.
According to the report, Moza Banco closed 2025 with a non-performing loan ratio of 29.21%, down from more than 40% in previous quarters, while Access Bank reduced its ratio from 10.26% to 6.96% in three months.
Based on data provided by the financial institutions themselves, the document also pointed out that First National Bank (FNB), Standard Bank, First Capital Bank (FCB), and Absa Bank had NPL ratios within the recommended parameter (below 5%), at 4.88%, 8.64%, 2.42%, and 3.11%, respectively.
Last year, the Bank of Mozambique warned of the deterioration of the national banking system’s credit portfolio, with an increase in defaults in 2024 and accumulated customer debt exceeding US$405.6 million.
At the time, the entity explained that the credit default ratio had stood at 9.32% of the total credit portfolio in 2024, up from 8.23% in 2023. The figure thus remains above the maximum limit of 5.0%, conventionally accepted as an international benchmark.
Central bank data indicate that there are currently 15 commercial banks and 12 microbanks operating in Mozambique, in addition to credit unions and savings and credit organizations, among others.
