Banks, NBFIs must set up desk for each branch: BB

Bangladesh Bank will take punitive action against scheduled banks and non-bank financial institutions if any of them failed to set up a dedicated desk for woman entrepreneurs in SME sector separately in each of their branches within May 16, said officials of the central bank. The BB will issue a letter tomorrow to this end to managing directors and chief

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BB firms up plans to issue first sovereign bond

Bangladesh is firming up plans to issue its first sovereign bond denominated in dollars, but looming elections may prevent it from achieving the goal this year, reports Reuters.
In an exclusive interview with IFR, Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman said: ‘A lot of technical work is going on and we will be launching this bond

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26 banks fail to comply with BB order on interest spread

As many as 26 banks failed to comply with the Bangladesh Bank’s directive to bring down their interest spread rate below five percentage points by March, said central bank officials on Thursday.
The BB in a meeting with the managing directors and chief executive officers of all the banks on January 27 had asked them to bring down their interest spread

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BB lowers provision against SME loan

The Bangladesh Bank on Monday lowered the general provision against standard loan and lease disbursed by non-bank financial institutions to small and medium enterprises.
The BB issued a circular to managing directors of the NBFIs saying that from now on the general provision against loan and lease for the SMEs down to 0.25 per cent

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$25m foreign loan approved against 3 pvt projects

The Board of Investment scrutiny committee for approval of private sector foreign borrowing on Monday cleared $25 million in foreign loans against three private sector projects.
The approval came from the 75th meeting of the BoI scrutiny committee for approval of foreign loan/supplier’s credit held at the Bangladesh Bank, said

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ADR in banks decreases further in March

The advance-deposit ratio in banks decreased further in March as the credit demand in the private sector dropped due to an unfriendly situation for business amid
political unrest, said officials of the Bangladesh Bank.
According to the latest BB data, the overall

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Govt moves to turn HBFC into bank on political consideration

BB terms the move unwise
The government has taken an initiative to turn the state-owned House Building Finance Corporation into a specialised bank on ‘political consideration,’ officials said on Wednesday.
But the move has received cold response from the Bangladesh Bank that is against turning the HBFC into a housing bank because of excessive presence

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Fruit growers to get credit from next FY: BB

Bangladesh Bank has planned to incorporate more farm products in the farm and rural credit policy to support growers for cultivation of local fruits such as malta, hog plum and safeda.
‘Growers of these fruits will be given credit support from the fiscal year 2013-14 because such credit facilities would encourage farmers to cultivate local fruits

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BB’s dollar purchase soars to $4b in 10 months

Bangladesh Bank purchased a record amount of $3.99 billion from the commercial banks between July 1 and April 21 of financial year 2012-13 with a view to stop the devaluation of the greenback against the local currency Taka, officials of the central bank said.
‘But the central bank initiative has virtually failed as the US dollar

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Don’t sanction loans to illegal housing projects

BB asks banks
Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday asked the scheduled banks not to sanction loans to private ventures for developing lands, constructing buildings and purchasing flats if they do not have the approval of the authorities concerned. To this end, the BB issued a circular to managing directors  and chief executive officers of all the banks saying that the central bank had

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