The Operations of Combined Islamic Bank to Begin Next Week

The Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Ahsan H. Mansur, has confirmed that preparations to form a new and stronger bank by merging five of the country's weak banks are nearly finalised.

The Governor explained that this initiative is being implemented under the Bank Resolution Ordinance. The new bank is expected to begin operations next week.

Ahsan H. Mansur made these remarks at the opening session of the 4th Bangladesh Economic Conference 2025, held on Saturday at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital. The conference, themed “The Future Path of the Economy and Political Commitments,” was organised by the Bangla daily Bonik Barta.

The Governor further shared that the new bank will have a paid-up capital of 35,000 crore Taka, the highest ever in Bangladesh's banking sector. Currently, the maximum capital for banks is only around 1,500 crore Taka.

He added, “By merging the five weak banks, we are going to establish a stronger bank. The government is providing 20,000 crore Taka for this purpose.”

The event also saw the participation of notable figures such as A. K. Enamul Haque, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), A. K. Azad, Chairman and Managing Director of Ha-Meem Group, Jahangir Alam, President of the Bangladesh Steel Manufacturers Association (BSMA) and Chairman of GPH Group, and Masrur Arefin, Managing Director and CEO of City Bank.

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