Published : 13 Oct 2026, 10:53 PM
Updated : 13 Oct 2026, 10:53 PM
State-owned Sonali Bank has lent Tk 70 billion to cash-strapped National Bank for three months at an interest rate of 10 percent, with the Bangladesh Bank guaranteeing repayment.
Sonali Bank Managing Director Shawkat Ali Khan confirmed the deal on Tuesday, saying the funds would meet National Bank’s immediate liquidity needs and support its recovery.
“The money is guaranteed by Bangladesh Bank. We hope it will meet National Bank’s immediate liquidity needs and support the bank’s recovery,” he told bdnews24.com.
The central bank has instructed National Bank to ensure depositors can withdraw money on demand from Oct 15.
It helped arrange the loan after National Bank sought assistance amid years of losses and mounting liquidity pressure.
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Arief Hossain Khan said the central bank had not lent the money itself.
“If a bank runs into trouble and seeks help from the central bank, we cannot simply abandon it,” he said, adding that National Bank would decide where to raise the funds.
A senior central bank official said the guarantee meant Bangladesh Bank would repay Sonali Bank if National Bank failed to return the money within three months.
National Bank has struggled with loan irregularities, unpaid defaulted loans and dwindling deposits as it failed to meet customers’ withdrawal demands.
After a meeting with Governor Mostaqur Rahman on Oct 8, its Chairman Melita Mehzabeen and Acting Managing Director Zahidul Haque were instructed to ensure sufficient cash at all 285 branches and ATMs from Oct 15.
By Monday, the bank had received 4,500 applications to withdraw deposits.
Unaudited figures show National Bank lost Tk 22.86 billion in the first half of 2026, against Tk 9.85 billion a year earlier. Its loss per share widened to Tk 7.10 from Tk 3.06.