IBBL tops banks in gaining operational profits

Despite criticism of mismanagement and loan scams, Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) has secured a top position in making operational profit in 2022, according to a Bangladesh Bank report.

IBBL has now the highest deposit holding in the country. The depositors rushed to withdraw their money from the bank amid reports of loan scams in last November and December.

Banks have prepared financial reports based on their branch office information on disbursed loans and their collection update. The BB report released late Saturday found that the operating profit of most of the banks increased in 2022, compared to the same period of the previous (2021) year.

According to the report, IBBL is at the top among the banks in gaining operational profit. In 2022 (January-December), the bank made an operating profit of Tk 2,646 crore.

In the previous year in 2021, the profit of the bank (IBBL) was Tk 2430 crore. In 2020, it was Tk 2350 crore.

Among other banks, in 2022, the state-owned Sonali Bank made an operating profit of Tk 2,520 crore. In 2021, it was Tk 2100 crore.

But operating profit is not the actual profit of the bank. Net profit will be calculated after saving provision or safety stock at fixed rate against debt from operating profit and payment of corporate tax. Net profit is the actual profit of the bank.

State-owned BASIC Bank could not make operating profit in 2022. On the contrary, they incurred a loss of Tk 371 crore; Last year also the loss was Tk 80 crore. Apart from this, Citizen Bank has made an operating profit of Tk 2.54 crore in six months. The bank started operations in mid of 2022.

Economist and former adviser of caretaker government Dr ABM Mirza Azizul Islam told UNB, “Bangladesh Bank is giving special benefits to the defaulters and showing the interest of such loan to the income sector. In this case, the financial report of the bank is being shown well on paper.”

He also said, “Political commitment and goodwill are needed to restore order in banks.”

According to the data of the central bank, in the quarter of September 2022, the defaulted loan amount in the banking sector of the country has increased to more than Tk 1.34 crore, which is 9.36 percent of the total loan.