In the first two days of the commencement of transactions at Sammilit Islami Bank, customers have withdrawn a total of Tk 107.77 crore. At the same time, new deposits of Tk 44 crore have been deposited. Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur gave this information at a press conference held at the Jahangir Alam Conference Room of Bangladesh Bank on Monday (January 5).
At the press conference, the Governor said that under the newly enacted Bank Resolution Ordinance, it has been possible to obtain the letter of intent, form capital, install signboards and start transactions of Sammilit Islami Bank in just two months, which is an exceptional example. He said that transactions with depositors are underway as per the resolution scheme and a full board including independent directors will be formed soon.
Citing the transaction figures for the two days, he said that a total of 13,314 withdrawals worth more than Tk 107 crore were made on January 1 and 4. Out of these, the highest withdrawal was made from Exim Bank. However, the net situation is satisfactory as a significant amount of deposits were made during the same period.
The governor said that the bank faces two major challenges – introducing an integrated IT system and completing a forensic audit to investigate past irregularities in five banks. He also said that legal action will be taken against those involved in the irregularities.
He further said that the Sharia-based profit rate has been determined in line with the market rate and initiatives are being taken to introduce new Sharia-compliant products for customers. The official inauguration of Sammilit Islami Bank will be held on January 19.