The Agricultural Development Bank (Panama) (BDA) recovered over 42 million dollars from its loan portfolio in 2025. This significant financial recovery aims to strengthen the institution’s capital base for future lending programs.
Official figures from the bank’s Credit Management department show a capital recovery of 38.6 million dollars last year. An additional 3.48 million dollars was recovered in interest payments, bringing the total to 42,139,112 dollars. The recovery momentum has continued into early 2026, with over 5.3 million dollars recouped by mid-February.
Targeted Recovery Efforts and Regional Performance
Bank officials have prioritized collecting on what they term “bad credits” issued by previous administrations. The BDA’s Legal Advisory Office is leading this effort to return these funds to the institution’s core finances. This strategic move directly supports the bank’s financial strengthening goals.
Regional data reveals Chiriquí province led the recovery effort with 8.85 million dollars collected. It was followed closely by Los Santos province with 7.5 million dollars and Coclé with 6.62 million dollars. These three regions accounted for more than half of the total amount recovered nationwide in 2025.
“We have established the recovery of non-performing loans as a priority to achieve the return of these funds to the institution’s finances for its financial strengthening,” stated the BDA’s Legal Advisory Office. [Translated from Spanish]
The replenished funds are already being redirected into new credit initiatives. One new program offers special loans to small cattle ranchers for drilling water wells. This directly addresses critical water shortages during the dry season.
New Loans Address Critical Dry Season Needs
This aggressive new lending program initially focuses on provinces within Panama’s Dry Arc (Panama) region, including Coclé, Herrera, and Los Santos. The program’s goal is ensuring livestock have necessary water supplies. Bank executives plan to extend this specialized credit plan to all provinces across the country.
The recovered capital, measured in millions of Panamanian balboa, provides the BDA with greater lending capacity. It marks a pivotal shift from recovering past debts to funding future agricultural resilience. This financial turnaround enables the bank to better serve Panama’s vital farming and ranching sectors with immediate, impactful solutions.