A scammer dies, but the rot in Bangladesh’s banks lives on
The Hallmark scam was the largest loan scam involving Sonali Bank at that time
1 December 2025, 13:53 PM
BB board clears winding up of nine non-banks
Governor says govt verbally approved Tk 5,000cr to pay depositors; Sammilito Islami Bank gets licence
30 November 2025, 18:00 PM
Bad loans continue to break records
Defaulted loans in the banking sector rose further to Tk 6.44 lakh crore, or nearly 36 percent of total disbursed loans, at the end of September, indicating the continued fragile state of the country’s financial sector.
26 November 2025, 18:10 PM
Bank Asia ramps up retail-SME drive, bets on digital banking
Bank Asia plans to accelerate the expansion of retail and SME lending, strengthen its presence at home and abroad, widen its agent network, and continue leading digital innovation in the coming years. The private bank wants to expand SME and retail loans to at least 50 percent of the total portfolio within the next three years.
26 November 2025, 18:00 PM
Bank merger: employees to face salary, benefit cuts
Today, fresh Tk 350 crore liquidity support approved for the to-be-merged banks, taking the total to Tk 35,300 crore
26 November 2025, 15:42 PM
Defaulted loans double to a record Tk 6.44 lakh crore in a year
This is the highest bad loan ratio since 2000
26 November 2025, 09:31 AM
Default loans hit 34%, highest in 25 years
NPLs reach their highest level since 2000, reflecting irresponsible lending, political influence under previous regime
25 November 2025, 19:29 PM
BB yet to release Q2 bad loan data
Bangladesh Bank has not published the banking sector’s classified loan data for the April-June quarter even five months after it ended, leaving analysts without a clear picture of the sector’s condition.
24 November 2025, 19:40 PM
Currency paradox: Why is BB buying dollars?
After years of depreciation that saw the taka lose nearly 30 percent of its value against the US dollar since the Covid-19 pandemic, the local currency is finally showing signs of strength.
16 July 2025, 18:26 PM
Taka gains ground under flexible rate regime
Local currency taka has started to gain strength against the US dollar for the first time in several years, as a steady inflow of foreign currency drives down the official exchange rate.
14 July 2025, 18:00 PM
20 non-banks on BB red list
As of December last year, they disbursed Tk 25,808 crore in loans against collateral worth Tk 6,899 crore, according to the BB report
13 July 2025, 18:00 PM
Lessons we must learn before aspiring to be like Singapore
Unfortunately, much of our development narrative is undermined by corruption, nepotism, lack of law enforcement, and policy inconsistency.
9 July 2025, 07:00 AM
BB to seek new investors for Nagad
Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Ahsan H Mansur said the Directorate of Posts, which owns mobile financial service provider Nagad, does not have the capacity to run it efficiently, making it necessary to bring in new investors.
8 July 2025, 18:00 PM
BB unlikely to cut policy rate now
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) is unlikely to reduce the policy or repo rate for the second half of this year as inflation continues to remain stubbornly high, according to the central bank governor.
5 July 2025, 18:46 PM
50% of bank directors to be independent
The interim government is set to amend the Bank Company Act by reducing the board members from a single family, the BB governor tells The Daily Star
5 July 2025, 18:02 PM
Dhaka Bank turns 30, looks to a digital horizon
Dhaka Bank has weathered many highs and lows since its inception, and its founding Chairman Abdul Hai Sarker credits the lender’s resilience to a foundation built on good intentions..In an interview with The Daily Star ahead of the bank’s 30th anniversary tomorrow, Sarker said the focus is
3 July 2025, 21:23 PM
New regulations in the offing to tackle e-money fraud
The banking regulator is expected to soon introduce new regulations to ensure transparency and discipline in the issuance of e-money and tackle fraud using virtual money, according to officials familiar with the matter.
3 July 2025, 19:52 PM
Distressed asset law in the making to tackle NPLs
The interim government is formulating a distressed asset management ordinance that could pave the way for a state-owned corporation to buy and trade troubled assets from banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs).
17 June 2025, 18:00 PM
Ten banks hold 71% of total bad loans
Just ten banks, both state-owned and private, account for 71 percent of all non-performing loans (NPLs) in the country’s banking sector.
17 June 2025, 18:00 PM
Provision shortfall at banks widens six times
Bangladesh's banking provision shortfall soared six-fold to Tk 170,655 crore, due to soaring bad loans
16 June 2025, 18:00 PM
Bad loans hit record Tk 420,355cr
Bad loans in Bangladesh’s banking sector hit a record Tk 420,335 crore at the end of March as a clearer picture of the toxic loan is coming to light following the political changeover in August last year.
15 June 2025, 18:10 PM
FY26 budget offers no new move to restore public confidence in banks
Around a dozen banks are currently struggling to repay depositors, eroding public trust
3 June 2025, 05:24 AM
Mercantile Bank maintains good reputation amid turmoil
The banking sector is currently going through one of its worst times. People are suffering, with some even failing to withdraw their own money, causing immense distress.
1 June 2025, 18:00 PM
Central bank at odds with BPO over Nagad’s future
The discord became apparent after Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser with authority over the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and IT, sent a letter to the BB governor on May 12 and posted the letter to his Facebook account recently
1 June 2025, 17:45 PM
The curious case of imposter at BB
Bangladesh Bank has recently discovered through a probe that the joint director of its Rajshahi office, who has been serving the central bank for 12 years under the name of Md Abdul Waresh Ansary, is actually an imposter.
28 May 2025, 18:39 PM
BB bars 18 banks from dividend payouts
Despite repeated appeals from bank directors and top executives over the past month, the central bank held firm.
26 May 2025, 18:00 PM
Govt expects gross reserves to reach $34b by June next year
The interim government expects the country’s gross foreign exchange reserves to rise to $34.4 billion by the end of the fiscal year (FY) 2025–26, buoyed by strong remittance inflows, export performance, and budgetary support from development partners.
26 May 2025, 18:00 PM
Who appoints CEO at Nagad now?
Govt asks postal department to take responsibility of the MFS provider
15 May 2025, 18:30 PM