Bangladesh Bank (BB) started giving loans at 10 percent interest for publication of books of creativity and knowledge.

The central bank is disbursing the loan from its Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) fund through the scheduled banks.

Under this arrangement, Chandraboti Academy has already received loan from the Kakrail branch of AB Bank and a number of other publishing houses have applied for loans at Dilkusha branch of Prime Bank.

General Manager of BB M Masum Patwari told BSS that a publisher can get a loan of up to Taka 50 lakh. But the applicant would have to meet the criteria fixed by the scheduled banks.

The BB has no separate budget for the publication sector loan. Therefore, such loans would be disbursed from the SME fund, he added.

Like all state-owned banks, private banks are also bound to provide information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2009, the Information Commission (IC) said yesterday, reports BSS.
Referring to the opinion of the law ministry, the Commission said anyone can seek information from the country’s private banks in a prescribed form and the banks concerned should respond accordingly under the RTI Act 2009.
The law ministry on Monday said all private banks would also be considered as ‘information providing unit’ and ‘information providing authorities’ like the public sector’s banks. The law ministry’s comment came after the Information Commission sought the ministry’s opinion to resolve a dispute that came up during a hearing on an allegation of unwillingness of the Rajshahi branch of First Security Islami Bank to provide information under the Act.

News:The Independent/22-Jan-2014

Fourth from right, Atiur Rahman, governor of Bangladesh Bank, hands over a cheque to Muhammed Ali, managing director of United Commercial Bank, at the Westin hotel in Dhaka yesterday. UCB and Trust Bank will disburse about $20 million loans to a power plant in Chittagong

Bangladesh Bank yesterday disbursed about $20 million loan for Baraka Patenga Power Ltd to set up a 50-megawatt power plant in Chittagong.
The fund, first of its kind in the power sector, is part of the Investment Promotion and Financing Facility funded by the World Bank and managed by BB.

Baraka Patenga Power will receive the loans from United Commercial Bank and Trust Bank, UCB Managing Director Muhammed Ali told The Daily Star. The loans carry a 4 percent interest rate.

“Power is a vital sector to accelerate economic growth and investment. Such a fund will help the country generate more electricity,” BB Governor Atiur Rahman said at a programme at Westin Hotel in Dhaka.
The central bank has undertaken many innovative steps so that entrepreneurs have access to the foreign currency loan at low interest rates, he said.

Trust Bank Managing Director Ishtiaque Ahmed Chowdhury and Baraka Patenga Power Chairman Faisal Ahmed Chowdhury were also present.  

BB, with the financial assistance of the World Bank, is implementing the IPFF to finance nine areas: power, ports, environment and solid waste management, highways and express ways, airports and terminal, water supply, economic development, social sector and information technology.

KS Tabrez, Managing Director, DBBL, speaks ata workshop on Prevention of Money Laundering and Combating Terrorist Financing at the bank’s head office in Dhaka recently.

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited organised a day-long workshop on Prevention of Money Laundering and Combating Terrorist Financing at the bank’s training wing in Dhaka recently.

The workshop was organised for the refreshers of the bank, said a press release.

 Bank Asia signed an agreement with Software Shop Limited (SSL Wireless), a leading mobile solution provider in the country to facilitate customers of the bank enjoy convenience of online shopping through e-commerce payment.

Aminul Islam, Managing Director (CC) of the bank, and Sayeeful Islam, Managing Director of Software Shop Limited inked an agreement on behalf of respective sides at a function at Corporate Office of the bank in Dhaka on Tuesday.