BB disburses Tk 4,000cr as liquidity support to 5 Islami banks

Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday disbursed Tk 4,000 crore as liquidity support to five Islami banks to meet ongoing liquidity crisis, officials in the central bank said.

Five Islami banks had earlier applied to Bangladesh Bank, seeking liquidity support. They are Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, Union Bank, Social Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank and Global Islami Bank. The five banks belong to S Alam group.

Central bank’s spokesperson Mezbaul Haque told UNB that it was decided to pay Tk 4,000 crore against Sukuk bond facility.

Islami banks can take more money, if required, under Sukuk bond facility, he said.

While BB Governor and Managing Directors of five Islami banks have denied the liquidity crisis in their respective banks, the liquidity shortage is still hampering the daily transaction, the officials said.

On Monday, the deposits of Islami Bank Bangladesh fell to Tk 1,46,964 crore. On October 31, the deposit of the bank was Tk 1,53,272 crore.

Earlier, IBBL had been lending money to all Islami banks for so long. But, IBBL is now going to other banks for money, a deputy managing director of the bank told UNB.

After the recent loan scam over Tk 34,000 crore, a group of people withdrew their deposits from the bank, which is also another reason for the liquidity crisis, he said preferring anonymity.

In this context, five Islami banks have suddenly faced a liquidity crisis and are struggling to meet demand for regular transactions. Officials say the central bank has taken the special initiative to lend money to these banks to keep them afloat.

Bangladesh Bank has launched an investigation to look into the scam. The High Court separately has asked for clarification from S Alam group over the scam.