The government is considering experienced bankers from the private sector to appoint managing directors (MDs) for six state-owned commercial banks: Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali, Bangladesh Development Bank (BDBL), and BASIC Bank. To facilitate this, the Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance is actively searching for qualified candidates, aiming to ensure skilled and experienced leadership given the current condition of these institutions.
According to sources within the Financial Institutions Division, the government amended the 'Policy on Nomination, Appointment, Promotion, and Posting of Managing Directors, Deputy Managing Directors, and General Managers of State-Owned Commercial Banks, Specialized Banks, and Financial Institutions' on Monday to achieve this goal.
Currently, none of the six commercial banks have a regular managing director. The remaining terms of the previous MDs at these banks were cancelled in two phases. In the first phase on September 2, the remaining tenures of Agrani Bank MD Md. Anwarul Islam, BASIC Bank MD Md. Kamruzzaman Khan, and BDBL MD Md. Jasim Uddin were cancelled. In the second phase on October 19, the remaining terms of Sonali Bank MD Md. Shawkat Ali Khan, Janata Bank MD Md. Mujibur Rahman, and Rupali Bank MD Kazi Md. Wahidul Islam were cancelled in a similar manner.
Financial Institutions Division sources indicate that the appointment process for MDs at Agrani, BASIC, and BDBL is in its final stages. Meanwhile, the process for appointing MDs at Sonali, Janata, and Rupali banks has also begun, with priority currently being given to recruiting candidates from the private sector for these three major banks.
