Although the interim government tried to stabilise the economy by confronting multiple challenges, even greater hurdles lie ahead for the next administration, according to Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.
Speaking at the annual managers’ conference of Sonali Bank PLC, held at a convention centre in Dhaka on Monday, Ahmed said the reforms implemented so far will support incoming initiatives.
“But the next government will have to handle the challenges even more tactfully,” he added.
Urging Sonali Bank officials to remain professional with the elected government, Ahmed said political administrations are harder to deal with.
“You cannot directly say no to them. You have to explain the economic policies, banking laws and audit norms,” he said, recommending dispute resolution through discussion, particularly in loan disbursement.
He also suggested placing more focus on lending to small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) rather than large corporates as they play a key role in generating employment.
“Besides, lending to large businesses carries higher risk,” he said.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur said state banks must be cautious and courageous simultaneously.
He further said operations at state banks must be akin to commercial lenders in practice rather than merely in name.
“They should not only collect deposits, but also increase lending,” the central bank governor said.
Mansur added that if collected deposits are not invested as loans, then they do not contribute to the country’s development.
Moreover, he said state banks should not be obliged to follow the government pay structure.
Referring to the addition of “PLC” to Sonali Bank’s moniker, its chairman Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury said the bank should now run under a corporate structure.
“The board should have the authority to hire and fire the managing director,” he added.
Addressing officials of the finance ministry and government, he urged for holding the board accountable by evaluating their performance.
“Remove or appoint them accordingly,” Chowdhury said, adding that Sonali Bank has been performing well despite being a state bank.
Sonali Bank Managing Director Md Shawkat Ali Khan said their default loan rate would fall to 10-12 per cent this year before moving into single digit range by the next.
He also informed that Sonali Bank would focus more on expanding export trade finance once the default loan ratio drops to about 9 per cent.
With 1,234 branches, including two overseas, the country’s largest bank earned an operating profit of Tk8,017 crore in 2025, up by Tk2,322 crore from 2024.
Highlighting these achievements at an earlier press conference, the bank said its deposits stood at Tk1.79 lakh crore during the same period, up by Tk15,000 crore from the year prior.
Meanwhile, the bank’s outstanding loans reached Tk104,723 crore in 2025, which was about Tk5,500 crore higher from the previous year.
