BRAC Bank aims to raise its market share to 10 per cent within the next five years as it seeks to become Bangladesh’s “most impactful bank”, Managing Director and CEO Tareq Refat Ullah Khan said in an interview with TIMES of Bangladesh’s Mahfuz Ullah Babu on Wednesday.
The bank’s current market share is around 4.5 per cent, and the target is part of its broader vision of creating economic and social impact through banking.
“We also want to be the most impactful bank in Bangladesh,” Tareq Refat Ullah Khan said while speaking about the bank’s entry into the Forbes 2026 list of the world’s top 500 banks, the lone one from Bangladesh.
He said impact means becoming a significant market player while contributing to society beyond financial performance.
Over its 25-year journey, BRAC Bank has built its growth around governance, transparency and compliance and avoided businesses that conflict with its principles.
“Regardless of the business environment, our position has not changed significantly because we operate according to our principles,” he said.
The bank does not engage in businesses that create negative impacts on Bangladesh’s environment or society, including ship-breaking and tobacco-related businesses.
“We have proved in this market that if you maintain principles, governance, transparency and compliance, you will succeed,” he said.
Reaching a 10 per cent market share would not be difficult, given the bank’s consistent growth in recent years, he said.
BRAC Bank’s portfolio doubled between 2021 and 2025.
He said the market share calculation should consider the healthy portion of the banking sector’s total lending, excluding classified loans.
However, the bank’s approach extends beyond profitability, with a focus on economic and social contributions.
BRAC Bank is the most profitable bank in Bangladesh, while 46 per cent of its profit returns to the society of Bangladesh through its parent BRAC, which owns the stake and uses dividends for social development activities.
The bank’s corporate social responsibility initiatives have helped around 250,000 people over the past one and a half to two years, including restoring eyesight for 58,000 people, arranging loans for 10,000–12,000 people, supporting education initiatives for 10,000–15,000 people and planting 35,000 trees.
“Impact is not only about numbers. It is about social impact, economic impact and becoming a champion in the industry,” he said.
Tareq Refat Ullah Khan also credited the bank’s governance structure for its performance.
“Governance is where we are number one,” he said.
Six of the bank’s seven directors are independent directors with no political or vested interests.
“The directors are the persons who are recognised in their own fields. They do not interfere in operations; they set policies and strategies in line with the bank’s mission and vision,” he said.
