Bangladesh Development Bank (BDB) is increasing its SME financing under the Bangladesh Bank’s Taka 600-crore refinancing fund for small and medium enterprises (SME).

BDB and the central bank today signed a participation agreement to this effect in the capital. BB’s general manager for SME and Special Programme Department Sukomal Singh Choud- hury and BDB managing director Dr M Zillur Rahman signed the agreement.

Under the agreement, BDB will share a portion of the fund from the central bank to provide easy loans to SME sector. The central bank earlier formed a Taka 600-crore fund to finance SME through banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs). The BB also signed similar deals with 21 banks and 22 NBFIs. 

The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ 27th April 2012

Executives from head office and branches in Dhaka and Narayanganj participated in the development programme.

Dhaka Bank Training Institute recently organised a daylong executive development programme at the Bank's head office in the city.

Khandaker Fazle Rashid, Managing Director of the Bank, inaugurated the function as chief guest, said a press release.
A total of 35 executives from head office and branches in Dhaka and Narayanganj participated in the programme titled 'Management and Leadership in Finance and Banking'.

Niaz Habib, Additional Managing Director and Shamsad Begum, SEVP and Principal of Dhaka Bank Training Institute, among others, addressed the participants.

The sessions were conducted by William Westgate, former senior vice president, HSBC, Investment Bank, London and Director, London Training Services.

The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ 27th April 2012

Social Islami Bank Limited Wednesday launched "SIBL@ i bank" with a view to provide web-based Internet Banking services to its customer from anywhere anytime. Under this service customers can check their account balance, print account statement, place cheque book request, inquire cheque status, transfer fund with allied accounts and also pay utility bills.

Muhammed Ali, managing director of the Bank said that in its journey towards continuous excellence, SIBL has stepped forward in boundary less banking services, any where, any time in which specially valued expatriate Bangladeshi wage earners living and working in different countries can now check their accounts with SIBL and perform various transactions which shall ease their anxieties.

He emphasized that SIBL will grow to become the best technology- friendly bank in the country and will use all modern banking channels to deliver most wonderful and satisfying services to its valued customers.

He has also said the SIBL has focused on the latest technological development to become the Bank of choice for the technology loving future generations of the country to take forward the country to a new era of modern and dynamic bank. Among others, DMDs Md Shafiqur Rahman, AMM Farhad, Mohammad Mohashin Miah and senior executives of Head Office were present in the programme.

Financial Express/Bangladesh/ 26th April 2012

The central bank has taken a measure to ease liquidity pressure of the primary dealers (PDs) through devolving a certain portion of fund under its each auction, officials said Tuesday.

Under the step, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has taken 38 per cent of total fund of both treasury bills (T-bills) and bonds auctions on its own account.

"The new provision of devolvement relating to the government-approved securities will continue till the end of the current fiscal year (FY)," an executive director of the BB told the FE Tuesday.

He also said the central bank has introduced the new provision of devolvement since April 1 aiming to ease liquidity pressures on the country's money market.

"The liquidity pressures on PDs will be eased during the ongoing fourth quarters (Q4) of FY12 compared with the Q3 following the new devolvement provision," the central banker said.

The central bank has taken the latest measure against the backdrop of rising bank borrowing target by the government recently to finance the budget deficit of the current fiscal year ending June.

Under the revised target, the government can borrow Tk 279 billion from the country's banking system against the original budgetary target of Tk 189.57 billion.

Besides, the BB has restructured the auction amount of both bonds and T-bills at the ratio of 50:50 instead of 92.5: 7.5 earlier to minimise fund mismatch of the PDs.

Financial Express/Bangladesh/ 26th April 2012

Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited received the ‘European award for best practices 2012’ in the gold category. European Society for Quality Research, a Spain based Financial Research Institute, handed over the award at Movenpick Hotel, Amsterdam, the Netherlands recently, says a press release.

Anwer Hossain Khan, chairman of the board of directors of the Bank, and Md Abdur Rahaman Sarker, managing director, received the award.

Syed Nurul arefeen, chairman of Board of Audit Committee, and Mohiuddin Ahmed, director, were also present.

The Independent/Bangladesh/ 26th April 2012