Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiur Rahman on Saturday called upon the banks, financial institutions and business organisations to come forward to help conserve the wildlife, reports UNB.

He made the call while addressing a programme organised by Wildlife Conservation Foundation at Lauachhara Forest in Srimongal Upazila under Moulvibazar district in the morning.

Atiur, who released some wild animals in the forest at the programme, called upon the relevant authorities for taking steps to save the biodiversity and conserving historic establishments.

Managing Director of National Bank Limited (NBL) Neaz Ahmed assured the central bank of providing support to that end.

Later, the central bank governor attended a function organised by the NBL for disbursement of loan among Monipuri women entrepreneurs of Sylhet and Moulvibazar.

The governor disbursed Tk 4.8 million loans among 116 women entrepreneurs on behalf of the bank. "The creative women entrepreneurs of the Monipuri community will specially be benefited with this loan," Atiur said.

He said the central bank has so far provided about Tk 3.51 billion among 4,924 women entrepreneurs under its re-financing scheme.

Some 16,696 women entrepreneurs had been provided with Tk 20.84 billion loans in 2011, Atiur said adding that the amount was Tk 18.05 billion in 2010.

He also said the SME loan disbursement process has got a momentum following the steps taken by the central bank.

The governor mentioned that though the number of women entrepreneurs is limited, they are neglected, particularly when it comes to having access to loan.

Financial Express/Bangladesh/ 8th April 2012

Bangladesh Bank (BB) may give approval to launch five to seven new banks in the private sector Sunday. According to BB sources, the board of governors of the central bank is set to give nod to launch five to seven new banks proposed by the private entrepreneurs at its meeting on Sunday (today).

The board of governors of the central bank will meet this afternoon at the BB’s headquarters with its governor Dr Atiur Rahman in the chair.

Sources said, the central bank board might consider maximum six proposals out of 16 short-listed applications for setting up new private banks at the meeting in the face of tremendous pressure from the government high-ups.

Preferring anonymity, a senior BB official told this correspondent that of the short-listed 16 proposals, five banks remain at the top of the list which was prepared by scrutiny committee of the central bank for consideration.

The banks are: Union Bank Ltd, Modhumati Bank Ltd,
The Farmers’ Bank Ltd, South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce Bank and Midland Bank Ltd.

The promoters of these banks are former president HM Ershad, Fazle Noor Taposh, MP and Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, MP, SM Amjad Hossain and Moniruzzaman Khan Khandker.

The BB official said, the government high-ups had also been persuading the central bank to approve proposed banks, namely Chartered Bank

Ltd, Meghna Bank Ltd, Kotak Bangla Bank Ltd, People’s Islami Bank Ltd and Federal Bank Ltd.
He said several board members are against so many new
banks as, according to him, the present economic situation does not permit it.

He also argued that financial position of the existing banks was not good enough and most of them were facing various problems to run their business.

The official observed that the BB is bound to give its nod to issue licenses to launch new banks, as it was the government’s political agenda. Earlier on Wednesday, the BB governing body in its 329th meeting approved three new banks sponsored by non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs).

The meeting that was adjourned till 1:30pm Sunday, however, did not give approval to new private banks.
The adjourned meeting would discuss all the 16 short-listed proposals for launching new banks and some of them may finally get nod of the board of governors of the central bank.

The BB, the country’s apex bank, sought applications for setting up new banks from the private promoters in September last year to fulfil the government agenda.

The central bank received 37 applications from the aspirants of the new banks till November 30 last year, last date of filing application.

For this reason, he apprehended, some board members of BB may not attend today’s meeting as they are not interested to involve with the process of approving new banks. The BB official also mentioned that two board members remained absent on the Wednesday’s meeting in the same ground.

Presently, a total of 47 public, private and foreign banks are operating in the country.
Meanwhile, experts have already expressed their concerns over BB’s move to give nod to float too many new banks under pressure from thegovernment.

They said the decision of setting up new private banks in the present economic context of the country would be unwise because business of banks’ has already been saturated in the country.

The Independent/Bangladesh/ 8th April 2012

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the economy in terms of employment and income generation, and development of local market and supply chains. But lack of access to external finance is hindering development of these enterprises.

Speakers at a seminar on “SME Financing” expressed the view, highlighting the urgency for identifying the problems faced by small enterprises in obtaining loans from financial institutions.

They also urged authorities concerned to make the procedures easier and remove the unnecessary lengthy procedures while allocating loans.

The discussants also found high interest rates, collateral requirements and lack of skills and attitudes of bankers as the most significant problems that the SMEs face while availing loans from the formal financial institutions.

Bangladesh Bank Deputy governor Md. Abul Quasem, who attended the programme as the chief guest, also echoed a similar tone saying that small enterprises in manufacturing sector are getting less credit as compared to service and trading sectors.

He also stressed the need for clearly defining the sector so that big and large enterprises under the coverage of SMEs could not avail the financial access. “We have already identified some cluster areas in Jessore and Jamalpur region which demand SME supports…,” he said adding that the central bank is contemplating to help handloom weavers at Olipur in Kurigram and Jamdani workers at Rupganj in Narayanganj flourishing these special enterprises.

The deputy governor, also the chairman of BIBM executive committee, urged the organisers to pinpoint the problems and identify proper solutions which he said will be incorporated in bank policies.

Organised by Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM), the seminar was also addressed among others by SME foundation Managing Director Syed Rezwanul Kabir, BIBM director general Dr. Toufic Ahmed Choudhury, international consultant Leif Andersen, BIBM director Dr. Prashanta Kumar Banerjee and Prime Finance and Investment Managing Director Asad Khan.

Prof Ashraf Al Mamun and BIBM lecturer Md. Mosharref Hossain  jointly presented a key note paper on “SME Financig: Demand side problems and supply side responses” while BIBM Lecturer ANK Mizan presented another key note paper on SME Credit Risk Model”.

The key note presenters in their papers have tried to describe in details the nature of SME business in Bangladesh, their nature, structures, contributions, financing, problems and prospects, risk identification, assessment and management.

The speakers said areas, such as, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Saidpur still remained unbanked and unattended.
“Availability of required working capital at appropriate time is another significant problem for most of the small businesses,” said a participant.

Most of the small businesses are family based and lack of appropriate financing for their startup and maintaining the operations are still challenging.

Collateral is a tool for securing the loan and many of the entrepreneurs do not have it, SME Managing Director Syed Rezwanul Kabir said.

The Independent/Bangladesh/ 8th April 2012

TOKYO: Japanese and Chinese finance ministers today agreed to cooperate over contributions to the International Monetary Fund amid efforts to help subdue Europe’s sovereign debt crisis.

Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi and his Chinese counterpart Xie Xuren met in Tokyo as part of their regular dialogue, Jiji Press and Kyodo News reported.

Azumi told reporters that the two countries would discuss further funding to strengthen the IMF’s financial bases so that the Washington-based multilateral lender can play a more active role in preventing Europe’s debt crisis from dragging down global economic growth.

Azumi said that Japan and China have yet to decide on further financial contributions to the IMF.

“Although a critical moment of the European issue has gone, we can never be optimistic,” Azumi told reporters, according to Jiji.

After providing loans to help debt-wracked countries such as Greece, IMF chief Christine Lagarde has asked members to give the fund $500 billion extra for possible future bailouts.

The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ 8th April 2012

Enamul Haq Mostafa Shahid, Minister for Social Welfare seen at a blood donation function of AB Bank in the city on Saturday.

AB Bank has arranged a blood donation programme yesterday on the occasion of its 30th founding anniversary.

Social Welfare Minister Enamul Haq Mostafa Shahid formerly inaugurated the programme at the Bank’s head office, said a press release.

Lawmaker Nasrul Hamid Bipu also attended the function as special guest.

M Wahidul Haque, chairman and M Fazlur Rahman, managing director of the Bank and a large number of officers and staffs were present on the occasion.

The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ 8th April 2012