PHOTO: UNITED COMMERCIAL BANK

STAR BUSINESS DESK

United Commercial Bank PLC (UCB) recorded its highest-ever deposit growth of 23 percent in 2025, more than double the banking sector’s average growth rate of 11 percent despite various macroeconomic challenges.

As a result, UCB’s total deposits increased by around Tk 13,000 crore to Tk 68,394 crore.

The information was disclosed at the bank’s 43rd annual general meeting (AGM), held recently at Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka, according to a press release.

Sharif Zahir, chairman of UCB, presided over the meeting.

During the year, the bank added around 678,000 new customer accounts.

Through efficient balance sheet management, UCB reduced its loan-to-deposit ratio from 91.3 percent to 83 percent, significantly strengthening its liquidity position.

Alongside an 8 percent growth in loans and advances, the bank recovered around Tk 114 crore from classified and written-off loans, nearly three times higher than the amount recovered in the previous year.

Due to new regulatory policies, the classified loan ratio had risen to 19 percent at one stage. However, through strengthened risk management and intensified recovery efforts, the ratio was reduced by nearly 4 percentage points to 15.5 percent.