Press Release
16 October, 2026, 07:50 am
Last modified: 16 October, 2026, 07:50 am
Experts, regulators and experienced bankers have called for urgent reforms in Bangladesh's banking sector, stressing stronger board-level oversight, independent chief risk officers and credible asset-quality management to ensure financial stability.
The call came at a seminar titled "Risk Governance in Banks: Assessing Its Impact on Financial Stability", organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) at its auditorium in Mirpur yesterday (15 October), according to the press release.
Chairing the event, Dr Md Ezazul Islam, director general of BIBM, urged stakeholders to move beyond diagnostic assessments towards actionable reforms, with defined implementation timelines for commercial banks and the central bank.
"Sound risk governance is not merely a compliance exercise; it is an institutional discipline," he said. "Banks must ensure that risk is understood at the board level, owned by business units, independently challenged by risk officers, and verified through credible internal audit and supervision."
Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Md Sarwar Hossain attended as the chief guest and underlined the importance of robust risk governance in sustaining financial stability across the banking system.
Presenting the keynote paper, Dr Mohammad Tazul Islam, professor and director of training at BIBM, said long-term stability could not be achieved without addressing core institutional weaknesses that undermine credit discipline and accountability.
The paper focused on early corrective action, transparent connected-party lending practices and technology-enabled regulatory supervision.
BIBM Professors Dr Prashanta Kumar Banerjee and Mohammad Mohiuddin Siddique co-authored it, alongside Dr Mohammad Monirul Islam Sarker, director of research at Bangladesh Bank.
Md Shihab Uddin Khan, professor and director of research, development and consultancy at BIBM, delivered the welcome address.
The designated discussants included Md Ali Hossain Prodhania, supernumerary professor at BIBM; Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, managing director of Shahjalal Islami Bank PLC; and Professor Dr Md Main Uddin of the Department of Banking and Insurance at the University of Dhaka.
BIBM said it would continue promoting evidence-based research, professional capacity building and constructive engagement with Bangladesh Bank and industry stakeholders to help build a more resilient banking system.