Bangladesh Bank has introduced a special loan facility through scheduled banks to ensure timely payment of February salaries for workers and employees of operational export-oriented industries, seeking to prevent labour unrest ahead of Eid.
In a circular issued on Tuesday, the central bank directed scheduled banks to take necessary steps to implement the facility. The loan funds must be transferred directly to workers’ bank accounts or mobile wallets.
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Arief Hossain Khan told TIMES that the government does not want workers to take to the streets over unpaid wages before Eid.
“Banks have been instructed so that workers receive their salaries smoothly and on time,” he said, adding that the loan must be repaid within a maximum of 15 months.
According to the circular, global and domestic economic pressures have disrupted production and export activities, creating shortages in liquidity at many factories. The initiative has been taken to address this situation.
Under the directive, banks may extend the term loan outside existing working capital limits after assessing the borrower’s capacity. However, the loan amount cannot exceed the average wage and allowance payments made by the establishment over the previous three months.
In other words, banks will calculate the average of total wages paid during the last three months and provide an equivalent amount as a one-month salary loan.
Only those industrial establishments that export at least 80 per cent of their total production and have paid workers’ wages from November 2025 through January 2026 will qualify as “operational export-oriented establishments.”
Certification from relevant trade bodies such as the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association will be mandatory.
The loan will carry prevailing market-based interest rates. To ensure transparency, scheduled banks must directly credit February wages into individual workers’ accounts.
The facility includes a three-month grace period and must be repaid within one year in equal monthly or quarterly instalments. No additional fees, charges or profit beyond regular interest may be imposed.
Bangladesh Bank said the directive was issued in the public interest under Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991.
