City Bank Managing Director and CEO Mashrur Arefin has been named ‘CEO of the Year 2025’ in the financial institutions category at the 4th Bangladesh C-Suite Awards on Saturday.
The recognition, organised by the Bangladesh Brand Forum, honours business leaders for integrity and excellence. The award citation highlighted Mashrur Arefin’s leadership and more than three decades of contribution to the country’s financial sector. Previous winners from the category include Ali Reza Iftekhar of EBL, Syed Mahbubur Rahman of MTBL and Kamal Qadir of bKash.
City Bank’s performance over the past six years was cited as a key factor behind the honour. Operating profit rose from Tk 699 crore in 2018 to Tk 2,351 crore in 2024. Net profit increased from Tk 202 crore to Tk 1,085 crore over the same period, while return on equity grew from 8.2% to 26.1%. Total capital more than doubled during his tenure.
Bangladesh Bank also recognised City Bank as the country’s top sustainable bank for 2024 for its governance record, green financing initiatives and operational standards.
Mashrur Arefin led the bank’s digital shift by expanding Citytouch and introducing products such as the Digital Nano Loan to support financial inclusion.
He is also a novelist, poet and translator, and currently serves as Chairman of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh, Chairperson of SWIFT Bangladesh and a board director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
