Dhaka- Training Course on “Bank’s Audit & Inspection” for the Officials of Pubali Bank Ltd. jointly organised by Human Resources Division of the Bank and Bangladesh Bank Training Academy (BBTA) was held recently. Managing Director & CEO of Pubali Bank Ltd. Helal Ahmed Chowdhury was present as Chief Guest at the closing ceremony of the course. Md. Ataur Rahman, Executive Director, BBTA presided over the ceremony. Syed Aziz Ahmed, GM, HRD, Pubali Bank Ltd. and A.K.M. Fazlur Rahman, GM, BBTA were also present at the ceremony.
In His speech, Managing Director of Pubali Bank Ltd. Helal Ahmed Chowdhury thanked Executive Director of BBTA Md. Ataur Rahman and BBTA authority for arranging the course for the Officials of Pubali Bank. Mr. Chowdhury termed audit as complementary to banking and urged officers to pay much importance. He said, auditors will have not only to find fault of the branches at the time of auditing but also to give guidelines so that the faults never to be happened again. He advised all officers to abide by the rules and regulations of Bangladesh Bank and other regulatory bodies. He also said, everybody has to pay special attention so that the objections filed in the various audit report of the branches would never happen in next time. Answers to the objections of audit have to be clear and based on data for the settlement in a quick time, he added.
In His speech, Executive Director of BBTA Md. Ataur Rahman said, this course for Pubali Bank has specially enriched with audit related data that will ultimately help the officers. He thanked the trainees for participating in the course and told them to utilize the knowledge acquired here in profession.
A.B.M. Zahurul Huda, DGM of BBTA was the Course Director. Deputy Directors of BBTA- Ahmed Zubaer Mahbub and Md. Fazle Rabbi were in the course co-ordination team. 25 (twenty five) Officers of the bank participated in the Training Course.

The central bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman on Tuesday asked the foreign commercial banks to allocate financial assistance in country’s SME sector.
“Allocation of more funds will encourage the SME stakeholders,” said the central bank governor while addressing a national level seminar titled Sustainable business model for SME banking organised by the SME Foundation. Held at Bangladesh Bank Training Academy (BBTA), the seminar was also participated among others by the central bvank deputy governor Md Abul Quasem, former deputy governor Khandker Ibrahim Khaled, SME Foundation’s managing director Dr Sayed Md Ihsanul Karim and the Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) Dr Taufic Ahmed Chowdhury.
Considering the importance of financial access for SME, the governor disclosed that during the last four years (2010 -2013), the financial institutions distributed Tk 262,340 crore among  18.35 lakh SME entrepreneurs. Moreover, banks have distributed Tk 754 crore to 9614 new women entrepreneurs during the period, also said the governor. 
The banks have targeted to disburse Tk 88,537 crore in SME sector in current year (2014), the governor also said. The central bank has been working with Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) for the development of new entrepreneurs, he said, adding that it has constituted a Tk 100 crore revolving fund in this regard. Association of Banker (ABB) president Ali Reza Iftekhar presented a keynote.
He also mentioned, banks have been instructed to give cluster-based SME loans for the development of region-based economically potential sectors. He said, “Thoughts should be given in the provision of cluster based loans in different parts of the country.”

Bangladesh Bank has lifted restrictions on industrial enterprises in Export Processing Zones (EPZs) to borrow loans from overseas.
The industrial units in the EPZs will have to submit loan applications through their authorised dealer banks to Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), which will send the proposals to BB for approval, the central bank said in a notice.
For non-EPZ enterprises, a separate scrutiny panel under the Board of Investment approves foreign loans.
But enterprises in EPZs that do not fall under BOI's jurisdiction could not apply for external borrowing that costs less than local loans.
There are three types of enterprises in EPZs: fully foreign-owned, joint ventures and local companies. All companies will be able to borrow from external sources, according to the notice.

Bank of England has given a stark warning that the recent surge in house prices could end in a crash, reports BBC.
Sir Jon Cunliffe, one of the Bank’s deputy governors, said it would be “dangerous to ignore the momentum that has built up in the housing market”.
He also warned about a possible “sharp correction, with negative equity and an overhang of debt for many households”.
His comments came amid reports that the UK’s most expensive flat ever has been sold for £140m.
Sir Jon, who has responsibility for financial stability, predicted that house prices would continue to rise for some time.
Earlier this week the Nationwide Building Society said prices had grown by 10.9% over the past year, the highest inflation rate for seven years.
Sir Jon suggested that the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) may have to recommend action within the next couple of months.
“Whether and how to act further if, following the pause of the last couple of months, momentum continues to build, will be the most challenging judgement the FPC will have to take in the coming months,” he told an audience in London.
He said the recent new rules on mortgage lending – known as the Mortgage Market Review- may help to constrain house prices, but “they have not yet been tested”.
Options the Bank could now consider include limiting borrowing ratios, or forcing banks to hold more capital as security against loans.
Support for mortgages through the government’s Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) was already withdrawn in January.

Bangladesh Bank on Monday asked non-bank financial institutions to follow Bangladesh Supreme Court order to ensure use of the state language Bangla in all its advertisements, vehicles registration plates and signboards.
To this end, the BB issued a circular to managing directors and
chief executive officers of all the NBFIs asking them to implement the Supreme Court order regarding use of Bangla.
On February 17, 2014, the High Court directed the government to take necessary steps on using the
state language in all the advertisements of electronic media, vehicles
registration plates and signboards of the country.
A BB official told New Age on Monday that the central bank would issue the same direction for the scheduled banks in the next few days.