Muhammed Ali, managing director of United Commercial Bank, and Amjadul Ferdous Chowdhury, managing director of Imperial Hospital, pose after signing a deal on syndicated term loan of Tk 250 crore for the hospital, at a local hotel in Dhaka on Sunday. Photo: UCB

United Commercial Bank has arranged a syndicated term loan of Tk 250 crore for Imperial Hospital (IHL), the bank said in a statement yesterday. 

IHL will use the loan to set up a 353-bed tertiary care and referral hospital in the port city of Chittagong, according to the statement.

Muhammed Ali, chairman of UCB, and Amjadul Ferdous Chowdhury, chairman of Imperial Hospital, signed an agreement on loans on Sunday.

UCB is the lead arranger of the fund with Dutch-Bangla Bank, Shahjalal Islami Bank, Standard Bank, NRB Global Bank, Bangladesh Commerce Bank, and Fareast Finance and Investment, involved in the lending syndicate, it said.

Some banks are adopting stricter lending criteria for China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs), demanding collateral from some companies they used to deem as safe as government debt, as Beijing tries to reform its bloated firms and the economy slows.

Singapore's DBS Group, which recently suffered a loss on a bad loan to an SOE-related firm it had assessed as risk-free, plans to launch a 'decision grid' to assess the creditworthiness of SOEs, according to draft internal risk guidelines reviewed by Reuters.

A banker at Taiwan's Chang Hwa Commercial Bank said that from the beginning of this year his bank would only lend to state-owned Chinese companies that provide collateral, in recognition that SOEs were no longer risk free.

Such changes in policy suggest some foreign banks are preparing for a rise in defaults in the world's second-largest economy, which is growing at its slowest pace in a quarter of a century and where the government is trying to make the state sector more efficient.

DBS will now lend more conservatively to SOEs seen as receiving less government support, as China plans to prioritise SOEs in strategic sectors.

The January-dated DBS document said: "Not all SOEs receive the same degree of government support. It is our further belief that the differentiation of such support will widen in the future as the government continues to pursue market economy."

DBS will now divide SOEs into tiers according to their likely level of government support, with subsidiaries considered more risky than top-level holding companies.

Group companies that are not consolidated into the parent SOE's financial statements will be evaluated as an ordinary borrower, the decision grid shows.

DBS effectively acknowledges that lenders can no longer take for granted implicit support from above.

DHAKA : Bangladesh Bank (BB) has planned making the country’s banking sector paperless, which will be a big step forward towards green transformation of the financial sector.
“We are committed to implementing a full scale IT based paperless banking operation in due course,” BB Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said, adding that a separate department has been established at the central bank to address the green issues in a broader manner.
The governor made the announcement while launching the Energy Efficiency Engagement Event at a city hotel yesterday, reports BSS.
Observing that transforming financial sector more eco-friendly is indispensible for ensuring an environmentally sustainable economic growth, he put green banking at the front of the forecourt of the agenda for large scale green transformation and said – “No doubt, green banking is a catalyst for green growth”.
Dr Rahman, who drove green banking in the country banking sector, appreciated Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) for establishing the Energy Efficiency secretariat in Bangladesh.
“This initiative reflects a clear commitment of DANIDA and NCCI activities towards green transformation and green growth of Bangladesh,” he said. The governor also highlighted the different initiatives of the central bank to make the country’s banking and eventually the financially sector environmentally more responsible.
“Bangladesh Bank has been providing a range of policy and financing support to banks and FIs (financial institutions) for mainstreaming green banking into the core banking practices. These endeavors have been enhanced in the last couple of years,” the governor said.
He said so 47 green products have been included in the BB refinance scheme of which 23 are green energy.
“Shifting the investment from fossil-fuel to green energy is the only way for transforming economic growth paths. Assessment of environmental risks above the threshold limit is a must,” he observed.
Dr Rahman said Bangladesh maintained more than 6.0 percent real GDP growth over the last 10 years, which is poised to increase in the years ahead. To continue this growth momentum, it has been estimated that energy consumption should grow at the rate of at least 10 percent.
He said we understood most of the lenders are not familiar with Energy Efficiency Technology and approaches and require technical support to appraise and manage loans for Energy Efficiency projects.
“In this scenario, we do expect the Energy Efficiency secretariat will look into these challenges for converting them into opportunities which will indeed give impetus to the green transformation, green growth of Bangladesh economy,” the governor said.
Denmark Ambassador Hanne Fugl Eskjaer, Head of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Engineering Department, BUET Dr. Mohammad Tamim, ABB Solutions in Energy Efficiency Country Manager Rajarshi Banerjee, Danida Senior Advisor Stephan Skare Enevoldsen and NCCI President Shamim Ul Huq also spoke on the occasion.

M Nazeem A Choudhury, head of consumer banking at Eastern Bank, and Aruna Ratnayake, general manager of Mihin Lanka Airlines in Bangladesh, exchange documents of an agreement in Dhaka recently. EBL cardholders travelling to Colombo before May 31 by Mihin Lanka Airlines will enjoy three nights free accommodation at a hotel in Colombo.

Eastern Bank has teamed up with Mihin Lanka Airlines to offer the bank's cardholders a three-night complimentary stay at a hotel in Sri Lanka.

The travellers who will make a two-way trip from Dhaka to Colombo by Mihin Lanka will be able to enjoy the offer, the bank said in a statement yesterday.

EBL cardholders will stay at Global Towers Hotel in Colombo along with a complimentary airport transfer by air conditioned car by purchasing the tickets of the trip from Ace Aviation Services for any trips that will be completed by May 31.

M Nazeem A Chowdhury, head of EBL consumer banking, and Aruna Ratnayake, general manager of Mihin Lanka, signed an agreement.

DHAKA: A foundation training course for the Junior Officers (General) of National Bank Limited has been started at the training institute of the bank in the city recently. Shamsul Huda Khan, Managing Director and CEO of National Bank Limited was present in the inaugural function of the course as chief guest. Md. Jahangir Bin Hamid, SVP and head of human resources division of the bank was present in the function as special guest. Md. Majibur Rahman, Principal, Hari Narayan Das & Farzana Haque, Senior Faculties of NBTI were present among others at the inaugural ceremony. A total number of 36 Junior Officers are participating on the course.
National Bank mission is to efforts for expansion of our activities at home and abroad by adding new dimensions to our banking services are being continued unabated. Alongside, we are also putting highest priority in ensuring transparency, account ablility, improved clientele service as well as to our commitment to serve the society through which we want to get closer and closer to the people of all strata. Winning an everlasting seat in the hearts of the people as a caring companion in uplifting the national economic standard through continuous upgradation and diversification of our clientele services in line with national and international requirements is the desired goal we want to reach.
National Bank vision is to ensuring highest standard of clientele services through best application of latest information technology, making due contribution to the national economy and establishing ourselves firmly at home and abroad as a front ranking bank of the country are our cherished vision.
Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited (SJIBL) commenced its commercial operation in accordance with principle of Islamic Shariah on the 10th May 2001 under the Bank Companies Act, 1991. During last thirteen years SJIBL has diversified its service coverage by opening new branches at different strategically important locations across the country offering various service products both investment & deposit. Islamic Banking, in essence, is not only INTEREST-FREE banking business, it carries deal wise business product thereby generating real income and thus boosting GDP of the economy. Board of Directors enjoys high credential in the business arena of the country, Management Team is strong and supportive equipped with excellent professional knowledge under leadership of a veteran Banker Farman R. Chowdhury.