Bangladesh-Bank

Both deposits and profits have declined at foreign banks operating in Bangladesh. Their total deposits fell by Tk 1.11 billion in one year while their profits dropped by Tk 4.94 billion. The information was revealed in a report titled “Foreign Bank Operations in Bangladesh: Trends and Operational Analysis” published by Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday, October 14. According to the report, deposits at foreign banks fell to Tk 873.79 billion in the first six months of this year from January to...

Padma Bank PLC, formerly Farmers Bank, has been struggling for the past 10 years. The bank has been caught in a liquidity crisis since then. Despite various measures taken over the years, there has been no improvement. Instead, its sponsors took loans indiscriminately under different names. Minimum regulations were not followed and the bank was subjected to widespread embezzlement. To rescue the bank from this fragile situation, its name was changed to Padma seven years ago. At the direct...

Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) has signed two participation agreements with Bangladesh Bank to provide customers with financing at preferential interest rates under two of the central bank’s refinancing schemes. AKM Nurunnabi, Director, Sustainable Finance Department, Bangladesh Bank, and Hassan O. Rashid, Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Bank PLC, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective organizations. Md. Sabu Munsi, Head of SME Business, Eastern Bank PLC, was also present at the signing c...

IPDC Finance PLC, a company listed in the financial sector of the stock market, is set to enter the Islamic Shariah based financing business. Bangladesh Bank has granted the company in principle approval for this purpose. IPDC Finance disclosed the matter in information published on the websites of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) on Sunday. The company said it will conduct Shariah based financing operations by establishing an “Islamic Finance Wing.” How...

The Bangladesh Bank has taken steps to dissolve the board of directors and management committee of state-owned Janata Bank at the same time. This is the first time in the country’s history that the banking sector regulator has taken such a step to dissolve the board of a state-owned bank. The move comes after serious irregularities emerged at Janata Bank. As many as 75 percent of the bank’s loans have already turned into defaulted loans due to the irregularities. Now, information about eve...

The authorities of Al-Arafah Islami Bank, a listed banking company on the stock market, said the bank had no role in the resignation of four independent directors. On 14 September, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) sought an explanation from the bank over the resignation of its four independent directors. In response to the letter, the bank authorities provided the information on 15 September. The information was published on the CSE website on Monday. The Al-Arafah Islami Bank authori...

Bangladesh Bank has published the latest exchange rates for major foreign currencies including the US dollar in the domestic market. The central bank said on Tuesday that the value of the taka was determined based on demand and supply in interbank transactions.Currency prices in the open market are somewhat higher than the rates announced by Bangladesh Bank. The cost of trade and business in the country depends on these foreign currency exchange rates.

The High Court has ordered a three month freeze on 81.92% of the shares in Islami Bank held in the names of various companies affiliated with S.Alam Group. The High Court bench led by Justice KM Kamrul Kader issued the order on August 30 following a writ petition filed by Islamic Economics Research Bureau (IERB), a sponsor shareholder company of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC. The court also issued a rule in the matter. The court asked why Bangladesh Bank’s inaction in allowing 81.92% of Isl...

Bangladesh Bank logged a massive profit in the outgoing 2025-26 fiscal year. The central bank recorded a net profit of Tk 25,900 crore in the last fiscal year, which is Tk 3,280 crore higher than the preceding 2024-25 fiscal year.In FY 2024-25, the net profit stood at Tk 22,620 crore. Meanwhile, in FY 2023-24, the central bank’s net profit was Tk 15,300 crore.The financial statement for the last fiscal year was approved during a Bangladesh Bank Board of Directors meeting on Sunday.The board memb...

The depositors of Sammilito Islami Bank PLC will not face any ‘haircut’ or deduction from their profits, Bangladesh Bank Governor Md. Mostaqur Rahman said. At the same time, he instructed the bank authorities to take necessary steps to allow individual depositors to withdraw money as needed beyond the prescribed limit for deposit refunds. The decisions were made at a meeting between Bangladesh Bank Governor Md. Mostaqur Rahman and Sammilito Islami Bank Chairman Kazi Shairul Hasan and...

They are all directors of private banks. Quite influential. Numbering around 500. They do not care about rules and regulations. Using their influence, they have taken loans amounting to Tk 2 lakh 8 thousand crore. Some pay installments occasionally, while many do not pay at all. Using various legal loopholes, they deposit a small amount to keep themselves from being classified as defaulters, then take out new loans again. The amount keeps growing. Their dominance persists under all governments....

Bangladesh Bank no longer has administrators at any of the five banks being merged. Most recently, the administrators of Union Bank PLC, Mohammad Abul Hashem, and Global Islami Bank, Md. Mokhsuduzzaman, were also withdrawn on Thursday. Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the information on the day. Bangladesh Bank officials said that keeping administrator teams at the same banks after appointing new managing directors, chairmen and independent boards of directors was...

The Bangladesh Bank has permitted the use of designated international cards for paying tuition fees and other education-related expenses of Bangladeshi students studying abroad. The central bank issued a circular on this matter today (Monday).The circular states that Authorized Dealer (AD) banks can now issue or allow the use of international cards to facilitate legitimate payments for students enrolled in regular courses at recognized foreign educational institutions.Under this facility, fees f...

Bangladesh Bank and the Bankers Selection Committee Secretariat (BSCS) have published recruitment notices for 351 positions at various banks and financial institutions. Bangladesh Bank will recruit 33 people for the position of Assistant Director (Statistics). In addition, through the Bankers Selection Committee, 36 people will be recruited for the position of Senior Officer (IT), 231 for Officer (IT)/MIS and ICT Officer, 28 for Assistant Programmer, 14 for Assistant Engineer (IT)/Assista...

Ghatpar area, adjacent to the Meghna River in Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj. This is where Nuru Dairy Farm once stood. After changing hands three times, the establishment is now closed. Its owner, Nuruzzaman, currently lives in Dubai. The Bangladesh Bank Entrepreneur Fund had provided Tk 3 crore for the establishment. In return, 8 bighas and 11 percent of land had been mortgaged. But an on site inspection found that the entire plot was under water from the Meghna River. Locals allege t...

Customers of the troubled five merged banks can now withdraw up to Tk 10 lakh for emergency needs, in addition to medical treatment. Previously, this facility was available only for their own treatment. Now, the Bangladesh Bank has approved withdrawals for the treatment of parents, children, siblings, and spouses, as well as for other urgent necessities. At the individual level, ordinary customers could previously withdraw only up to Tk 2 lakh. No decision has been made yet regarding corporate c...

Bangladesh received $1.80 billion in remittances during the first 18 days of July, marking a 20 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to data released by the Bangladesh Bank on Sunday.Remittances reach $1.80 billion in first 18 days of July, up 20.2%In the first 18 days of the current month, remittances have come in at approximately $1.80 billion, which is 20.2% higher than the same period last year. Bangladesh Bank reported this information today (Sunday).According...

Bangladesh has paid its import bills for the May-June period to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU). A total of $1.314 billion has been paid. Following this, the country's foreign exchange reserves have decreased to $36.17 billion.Today (Tuesday), Bangladesh Bank's spokesperson and Executive Director Arif Hossain Khan confirmed this information.He said, "According to the IMF's BPM-6 accounting method, the current usable foreign exchange reserve of the country is $31.72 billion."Before the ACU payment...

Bangladesh Bank has issued new guidelines aimed at streamlining digital transactions between banks, setting a minimum Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 1% (including VAT) for merchant payments made through Bangla QR codes on the National Payment Switch Bangladesh (NPSB) platform. The central bank’s Payment Systems Department-2 (PSD-2) issued the circular on Wednesday, and the new directive took effect immediately. According to the circular, Bangladesh Bank had previously set MDR limits for...

Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday announced its monetary policy for the first half of fiscal year 2026-27 (July-December), keeping the policy interest rate unchanged at 10 percent as inflation remains elevated. Deputy Governor Dr. Habibur Rahman presented the monetary policy under the chairmanship of Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman. When the policy rate remains unchanged, banks’ funding costs do not decline. As a result, borrowing costs for businesses and industrial entrepreneurs rem...