The external debt of commercial banks in the EAEU reached almost $130 billion

The total external debt of banks in the Eurasian Economic Union countries amounted to $129.9 billion as of 1 July this year. This is $10.7 billion or 9% more than a year earlier. These figures were provided by the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The growth in bank debt was observed in all countries of the union, with the exception of Belarus, where the indicator declined.

The largest amount of debt is held by the Russian banking sector — $103.7 billion. This accounts for almost 80% of the total debt of EAEU banks. This is followed by Kazakhstan ($15.6 billion), Armenia ($5.45 billion), Belarus ($4.04 billion) and Kyrgyzstan ($1.08 billion).

Compared to July 2024, the debt of banks:

• Russia increased by 9.6%;
• Kazakhstan's by 9.2%;
• Kyrgyzstan's by 17.1%;
• Armenia's by 19%;
• Belarus's by -15.3%.

The increase in bank debt reflects the rise in external borrowing to support liquidity.