SEVERAL BANKS ARE ABOUT TO GO BROKE

 
Gross corruption, anarchy, irregularities and nepotism crippled Bangladesh's banking sector during banned outfit Awami League's ruling tenure from 2009 to 2024. Ordinary depositors are now paying the price for these graft and anomalies. Bangladesh Bank's data shows that 15 banks are on the verge of becoming bankrupt at any moment while 12 banks have become totally dysfunctional with severe financial ailments. Awami League and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were ousted on 5 August 2024.

The range of defaulted loans has mortally escalated which poses grim threats to discipline and stability in a lot of banks' management. Several banks are not being able to disburse cash to meet the necessities of their clients on a daily basis due to intensified liquidity crisis. Some more banks are so weak and shattered financially that they borrowed huge sums of money from the central bank to bear their daily operational costs and staff salaries. Defaulted loans are most likely to cross 5 lakh 70 thousand crore taka shortly which is roughly 40% of the total distributed loans from private and state-run banks. Common citizens who preserved their hard-earned money in banks are fast losing confidence on the country's banking system.

Financial experts, researchers and academic scholars expressed grim worries about the above points at a seminar organized in the Senate Building of Dhaka University on Sunday (21 September 2025). The speakers deplored the unrestrained rampage in banks and financial institutions during the overthrown government's ruling period for last 15 years. Most of the banks are going through a very complicated gridlock due to burgeoning liquidity shortage which has ignited panic among customers. The seminar was jointly organized by Dhaka University, University of Asia Pacific and OTH Amberg Weiden University, Germany. Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur attended the seminar as the chief guest. Professor Mahmud Osman Imam, Dean of Business Faculty in Dhaka University presented the keynote paper.

Pubali Bank Limited Managing Director Mohammad Ali, City Bank Managing Director Masrur Arefin and Bank Asia Managing Director Sohel R K Hossain addressed the seminar. 

Discussants at the event said that branded financial culprit S. Alam in collaboration with regulators during the immediate past government's ruling years destroyed Bangladesh's banks with an egregious scale of plundering and every sort of unethical intervention. The interim government is working on reforms in the banking system but elected governments don't allow reforms to go on uninterruptedly, according to speakers. Economists at the seminar heavily condemned Awami League for spoiling the country's banking administration and financial systems with nepotism and unlimited corruption like loan frauds and unabated money laundering for 15 years. The speakers added that most of the siphoned off money from banks were laundered to foreign countries during 2009 to 2024.