Non-performing loans at banks and financial institutions in Guinea-Bissau reached 21.0% of gross loans in September, up from 20.6% in August and 19.2% a year earlier, the regional central bank BCEAO said in its monthly statistical bulletin published on November 6. They totaled 50.6bn FCFA (€77mn). The ratio across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) was 10.3%.
Analysis: The ratio rose mainly because lending shrank: gross loans fell 1.3% in September to 240.9bn FCFA (€367mn). Meanwhile, bad loans grew 0.5%, by our calculation. Over a year, however, bad loans rose 7.4% as loans fell 1.7%. The deterioration is therefore not only the effect of a smaller loan book. Banks have raised provisions to cover 56.1% of bad loans, from 48.9% a year earlier. That cushions future write-offs but leaves 22.2bn FCFA (€34mn) uncovered. Only Niger, at 23.6%, has a higher rate in the union. The October bulletin is expected in early December. No date has been published.
Source: BCEAO, BCEAO, Bulletin mensuel des statistiques, septembre 2026 (posted November 6, 2026), September 2026