BANGKOK (Aug 27): Thai banks' non-performing loans (NPLs) rose slightly to 2.84% of outstanding loans at the end of June from 2.80% at the end of March, the central bank said on Tuesday.

The second-quarter data include banks and their subsidiaries, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) said. Excluding the subsidiaries, banks' NPLs were 2.74% at the end of March.

Bad loans were seen to be rising gradually but were manageable, the BOT said in a statement, adding banks remain strong with high levels of capital, loan loss provisions and liquidity.

Banks' loans rose 0.3% in the June quarter from a year earlier, after an annual rise of 1.3% in the first quarter, the BOT said.

The overall business loans remained relatively unchanged, while SME loans continued to contract, and consumer loans expanded at a slower pace due to rising credit risk, the BOT said.

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