THERE is likely to be an increase in the sale of non-performing loans (NPLs) by Malaysian banks as some lenders look to clean up their Covid-19-impacted loan books more quickly, experts say. “We expect Malaysian banks to look at NPL sales more actively, especially for corporate credit,” says Nancy Duan, a credit analyst at S&P Global Ratings. CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, the country’s second-largest banking group, may have started the ball rolling. It sold a “small” portion of NPLs last year to a third party, according to an industry source. The actual amount of NPLs sold is not clear, although news reports last week cited a figure of around RM360 million.