Bangladesh Bank asked commercial banks to comply with rules and regulations to retain public confidence in the banking business.

“As the banks are the hub of the financial intermediation, it is an important responsibility for the banking sector executives to retain public confidence in the banking system,” said Atiur Rahman, BB Governor, while unveiling the financial stability report 2011, at its office on Sunday. High officials of the central bank, managing directors, chief executive officers and other high officials of all scheduled banks were present at the event.

Atiur urged senior bankers to shield the banking and NBFI sectors from risks and vulnerabilities and said reasonable emphasis are being given to both on-site supervision and off-site surveillance by the BB.

“However, efforts of the central banks alone will not be fruitful if effective implementation of prudential rules and regulation are not properly maintained by the scheduled banks, non-bank financial institutions, and regulators of other financial intermediaries,” he noted.

Ensuring effective implementation of, and compliance with, prudential regulations and supervisory instructions of Bangladesh Bank is to keep systemic crises away from commercial banks.

These regulations and instructions will be rolled out in the coming months, he also said. “But do not be concerned that the sector will become over-regulated.

Regulations promoting stability in the sector as a whole will be complementary to regulations promoting the stability of individual institutions.

They are not conflicting in nature, nor are they intended to create an undue burden,” he said.

As Managing Directors of the banks and financial institutions, the bankers should understand that the legal and regulatory framework – in particular, expectations for risk management, minimum capital and liquidity requirements, large exposure limitations, and conservative accounting and reporting requirements including recognition of expected losses – are the best banking practices.

The central bank also warned that Bangladesh Bank will not allow imbalances and excessive linkages to build up in the banking sector as they did in some parts of the developed world.

“We are monitoring the rate of credit growth at individual institutions and in the sector as a whole.
We will not permit banks to become too tightly woven together with excessive interbank lending, borrowing, depositing, and debt and equity ownership,” BB Governor said.

News: The Daily Independent/Bangladesh/9th-Oct-12