Exim Bank gets ICMAB Best Corporate Award

Posted by BankInfo on Tue, Apr 29 2014 10:51 am

Dr. Mohammed Haider Ali Miah, Managing Director, Exim Bank, receives the ICMAB Best Corporate Award 2013 from Finance Minister AMA Muhith at a function at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday.

 

 Exim Bank received the ICMAB Best Corporate Award 2013 in the category of Private Commercial Bank (Islamic Operation).

The award was given for the bank’s capital adequacy, asset quality, corporate governance, adequate earning and profitability, risk management, contribution to the national economy, regulatory compliances, transparency and great contribution to the corporate social responsibilities, said a press release.

News:Daily Sun/29-Apr-2014

FSIBL opens branch in Meherpur

Posted by BankInfo on Tue, Apr 29 2014 10:37 am

AAM Zakaria, Managing Director of FSIBL, inaugurates a branch of the bank in Meherpur on Monday.

First Security Islami Bank Limited (FSIBL) opened a branch in Meherpur on Monday.

AAM Zakaria, Managing Director of FSIBL, inaugurated the branch, said a press release.

Sk Abdul Wadud, Zonal Head of Khulna, Kazi Md Amanullah, Head of General Services Division, Azam Khan, Head of Marketing and Development Division, Md Kased Ali, Manager of Meherpur branch, branch managers of Khulna division and local elites attended the function

News:Daily Sun/29-Apr-2014

French central bank head warns of eurozone disinflation risk

Posted by BankInfo on Tue, Apr 29 2014 10:19 am

The eurozone is at risk from unduly low inflation, the governor of the French central bank Christian Noyer, who also sits on the policy body of the European Central Bank, warned on Monday.
A second challenge for the eurozone is the strength of the euro, which was "one of the factors pushing inflation down," Noyer said.
But "low inflation does not mean deflation", Noyer underlined, saying that deflation meant "a pernicious spiral" marked by a "permanent and cumulative process" of falling prices.
Inflation in the eurozone fell from 2.7 percent at the end of 2011 to 0.5 percent in March on a 12-month comparison, the central bank noted.
The ECB has a target for medium-term inflation of just below 2.0 percent.
There is widespread concern that deflation, an absolute fall in prices, threatens the eurozone and the ECB central bank has said that it is watching these pressures carefully and is ready to take counter measures.
Economists hold that deflation is particularly dangerous if it takes hold because consumers and businesses delay purchases in the belief that prices will fall further.
This further depresses demand and prices and pushes up unemployment, and can creat a vicious circle.
Noyer, presenting the French central bank's annual report, warned of the pressures of disinflation, which happens when the rate of inflation slows sharply.
Reforms by several governments in the eurozone to cut public budget deficits and debt, and a rise in the competitive position of some eurozone countries, had combined to create "powerful disinflationary pressures", Noyer said.
The big challenge for the 18-member eurozone was "the risk of inflation which is too weak for a lasting period", he said.
"Temporary and global factors are at work, import prices are falling, particularly for raw materials and energy," he said in a letter with the annual report for French President Francois Hollande, and for the French Senate and National Assembly.

News:The Daily Star/29-Apr-2014

IDB aims to build 180 schools, cyclone shelters in a year

Posted by BankInfo on Tue, Apr 29 2014 10:12 am

Islamic Development Bank plans to build 180 school-cum-cyclone shelters in coastal areas within a year, IDB President Ahmad Mohamed Ali said yesterday.
The Jeddah-based bank has already constructed 24 buildings under a $130 million project to build such shelters in 40 upazilas of 13 districts.
Ali, a former deputy education minister of Saudi Arabia, opened two school-cum-cyclone shelters at Koyra in Khulna and Sharankhola in Bagerhat on Sunday.
Around 2,000 people and 500 cattle will be able to take shelter at each of the centres with an expected life span of 100 years and resistance of wind speed up to 260 kilometres per hour, the IDB chief said.
Ali, who came to Dhaka on Sunday on a two-day visit, spoke at a press conference at IDB Bhaban in the capital yesterday.
An anonymous philanthropist has donated the fund to the IDB for providing assistance to the victims of cyclone Sidr that devastated southern Bangladesh in 2007.
Of the total fund, $110 million is being used for the construction of the shelters and $20 million for urgent relief in the form of agro inputs.  
The IDB chief said his bank has already disbursed $20 million to four nongovernmental organisations for the rehabilitation and livelihood programme for the victims.
The NGOs—Islami Bank Foundation, Muslim Aid, Voluntary Organisation for Social Development, and Brac—have devised an innovative microcredit programme, Quard Hassan (interest free loans), for the beneficiaries.
The government and IDB signed an agreement in May 2008 for implementing the programme.
At a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday, Ali said the IDB Group will continue to focus on key development initiatives of Bangladesh in energy, urban, agricultural and education sectors, according to a statement.
The Group has so far committed about $3.2 billion for the period of 2013-2016 under “Member Country Partnership Strategy” jointly prepared by Bangladesh government and the IDB.
Ali also said IDB plans to open its group gateway office in Bangladesh in the next few months.
Since inception in 1975, IDB provided development assistance to Bangladesh amounting to more than $15 billion.

News:The Daily Star/29-Apr-2014

Grameen Bank directors protest Muhith's comments

Posted by BankInfo on Tue, Apr 29 2014 10:01 am

Nine borrower-directors of Grameen Bank yesterday rejected Finance Minister AMA Muhith's recent comment on the transparency of the electoral process at the microlender.
Muhith on Saturday said Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus had picked the directors through a so-called election in the last 30 years, terming the process an utterly undemocratic practice.
“To stop this undemocratic practice, the new rules have entrusted Bangladesh Bank with power [to hold the elections],” the minister said.
In the first week of this month, the government issued the new Grameen Bank (Election of Directors) Rules 2014, giving the central bank the authority to hold elections to pick nine independent directors. Before this, Grameen Bank officials used to conduct the elections.
"We are very surprised at the comment of the finance minister. We are also surprised to see the ignorance of the minister on how the election to the governing body is held," the nine directors said in a joint statement.

In the last three decades, the election for the nine directors from the members of the bank has been held under the rules scripted by the government. So far 10 elections were held, electing borrower-directors for three years in each term.
The statement said the government-appointed chairman and two other directors to the 12-member board have always attended the board meeting during elections.
"They have always praised the elections and welcomed new board members," it said, adding that there was no way for Prof Yunus to hand-pick people for the board.  
The nine directors have to face elections at branch, area and zone levels before being elected.
The statement said the government has kept the rules almost the same, except taking away power from Grameen Bank to organise the elections.
"Someone might be determined to destroy Grameen Bank. The law was changed as it had not been possible to ruin the bank with the help of the law of Grameen Bank," the directors said.
The elected directors said the process to nationalise the bank has started with the new law.
"The previous law did not allow the government to take the control of the bank in its hand."
The 86 lakh members and borrowers of Grameen Bank own 75 percent share of the Nobel Peace Prize winning bank, while the government controls the rest.
The nine directors said there was no way the election process would take a political shape, given the way the election commission will be formed and the polls under the supervision of the central bank be conducted.
"Partisanship, violence and money will make their way into the elections. As a result, Grameen Bank will be destroyed. Indiscipline will affect lending and deposit collection," the directors said.

News:The Daily Star/29-Apr-2014
430 | 431 | 432 | 433 | 434 | 435 | 436 | 437 | 438