PrivatBank wrote off UAH 140 billion in problem loans: what does this mean?
7 February 16:11
In December 2025, Ukraine’s largest bank, PrivatBank, stopped recognizing approximately 140 billion hryvnia in old non-performing hryvnia assets, according to the National Bank of Ukraine, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
As a result, the share of NPLs on its balance sheet fell from 44.70% (the highest in Ukraine) to the lowest level since 2009 – 8.45% (below the market average).
According to operational statistics, the share of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the Ukrainian banking sector as a whole decreased from 24% to 14% as of January 1, 2026. In addition to PrivatBank, other state-owned banks also wrote off significant amounts of non-performing assets.
Currently, the share of NPLs in state-owned banks is less than 20%, in private banks with Ukrainian capital – 8.4%, and in private banks with foreign capital – 6.5%. These are the lowest figures in over 15 years.
The NBU notes that despite the large-scale write-offs, the banking system is showing steady growth. Net hryvnia loans to businesses in December 2025 increased by 35.6% year-on-year, and to the population by 32%. According to preliminary data, solvent banks received UAH 126.8 billion in net profit in 2025.
As of early December, the largest share of non-performing loans after PrivatBank was held by Alliance Bank, at 43.2%.
