United News of Bangladesh

Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC has showcased remarkable resilience, achieving a 5% growth in deposits year-on-year as of December 2024. Despite challenges in the banking sector, the bank has firmly established its position as a trusted institution among depositors and investors. The financial statement of Islami Bank revealed deposits amounting to approximately Tk1.61 lakh crore in December 2024, compared to Tk1.54 lakh crore in December 2023. Investments also saw an increase, rising from Tk1.50 lakh crore in 2023 to Tk1.59 lakh crore in 2024. December 2024 proved to be a record-breaking month for remittances, with the bank receiving around Tk681,00 crore—approximately one-third of the country’s total remittances for the month. Islami Bank continues to lead the private sector in import and export finance, recording Tk648,00 crore in import financing and Tk324,00 crore in export financing for 2024. Currently serving 2.5 crore customers, the bank’s expansive network of 400 branches, 265 sub-branches, 2,800 agent banking outlets, and 3,000 ATM/CRM booths underscores its commitment to reaching every corner of the nation. A branch manager, speaking anonymously, assured, “Customers can withdraw money from branches without interruption. There are no complaints about liquidity issues, and cash transactions are operating normally.” Read: Islami Bank to issue new shares, sell S Alam Group's seized ones The bank’s RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) system has also remained fully operational, ensuring smooth and timely money transfers. Resilience Amid Challenges Despite the liquidity challenges faced by the banking sector in August 2024, Islami Bank has managed to recover swiftly. Governor of the Bangladesh Bank Dr Ahsan H Mansur recently commended the bank's important role in the country’s economy, stating, “Islami Bank is the number one bank in the country. It has turned around within the shortest time and is moving forward smoothly. This bank will not look back anymore.” Dr Shah Md. Ahsan Habib, a professor at the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM), attributed the bank’s resilience to its deep grassroots connections and the strong social networks of its employees. Read more: Islami Bank appoints 4 audit firms to investigate irregularities post S Alam Group takeover He highlighted the role of small depositors, saying, “In the context of Bangladesh, small depositors are the assets of a bank. Islami Bank, with its vast network, has successfully gained the trust of these depositors.” Leadership and Achievements Islami Bank’s Chairman, Md Obayed Ullah Al Masud, affirmed the institution’s consistent leadership in the private banking sector. He revealed that Bangladeshi expatriates remitted $26.89 billion in 2024, with Islami Bank facilitating 21.47% of this, equivalent to remittances from 163 countries. The top remittance-sending nations included Saudi Arabia, the USA, the UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, Qatar, Italy, and Kuwait. “Our 5% deposit growth in 2024 compared to 2023 is a testament to the confidence people have in us. Islami Bank will only continue to move forward,” Masud stated confidently. The bank’s contributions to the economy are vast, with investments in over 6,000 industries, support for 20 lakh entrepreneurs, and employment opportunities for 1 crore people. Read more: No restrictions on business operations and opening LCs in Islami Bank: BB Governor Besides, its small investment schemes have benefited 18 lakh marginal families, further cementing its role as a driver of socio-economic development. As the leading private sector bank in Bangladesh, Islami Bank’s robust performance, grassroots connections, and unwavering customer trust place it firmly on the path to continued success.

ActionAid's two-day festival – organised to celebrate the resilience of communities of Bangladesh and the country's glorious heritage, culture, and traditions – ended Friday in Dhaka. The event "Festival of Resilience: People, Planet and Possibilities" aimed to encourage celebration and participation among communities in recognition of their stories of resilience. For decades, the people of Bangladesh have faced countless challenges, such as climate and human-induced disasters, inequalities, economic instability, refugee crisis and pandemic. But every time, the mass bounced back with the power of resilience and survived with renewed vigour. Read: ActionAid to celebrate Bangladeshi resilience, cultural heritage A very recent example would be the last two years, during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the collective effort of the people of this country helped communities stay hopeful and agile. To celebrate the innate quality and resilience of people, ActionAid Bangladesh organised the festival. Through a wide and immersive range of activities, the festival helped celebrate the people, their strength, joy, and solidarity. Key attractions of the opening day included a performance by Happy Home girls; the inauguration of exhibition and kiosks; opening dialogue on the "Multi-dimensional perspective of resilience."

To celebrate the resilience of communities of Bangladesh and the country's glorious heritage, culture, and traditions, ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) has organised a two-day festival. The event "Festival of Resilience: People, Planet and Possibilities" aims to encourage celebration and participation among communities in recognition of their stories of resilience. The festival, which started Thursday in Dhaka's Gulshan 2, will end Friday. For decades, the people of Bangladesh have faced countless challenges, such as climate and human-induced disasters, inequalities, economic instability, refugee crisis and pandemic. But every time, the mass bounced back with the power of resilience and survived with renewed vigour. A very recent example would be the last two years, during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the collective effort of the people of this country helped communities to stay hopeful and agile, despite all the uncertainties and despair. This innate quality and resilience of people are worth celebrating. So, ActionAid Bangladesh is organising this festival. Through a wide and immersive range of activities, the festival will help celebrate the people, their strength, joy, and solidarity. Key attractions of the opening day included a performance by Happy Home girls; the inauguration of exhibition and kiosks; opening dialogue on the "Multi-dimensional perspective of resilience." There was also a special "She-tales," segment, involving women leaders from the community who shared their tales of courage and resilience, and a cultural performance by the AAB Band. On the last day of the event, there will be a flash mob by the young participants of the Activista Network of ActionAid Bangladesh. There will also be three "Human Book Café" sessions with distinguished speakers – Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of international relations and director of Centre for Genocide Studies, University of Dhaka; Naveed Mahbub, comedian and columnist; Tania Wahab, entrepreneur, Afsan Chowdhury, journalist and researcher, Shameem Akhtar, filmmaker and media activist, and Afzal Hossain, popular actor and director. "The knack for survival through endurance and overcoming obstacles is what makes us, as a nation, unique and commendable. At ActionAid, we felt that it was high time we celebrated this innate resilience of people – and therefore, came up with the idea of this Festival of Resilience," Farah Kabir, country director of  ActionAid Bangladesh, said. "Through this two-day event, we are going to promote the diversity of the country's culture, an attempt to learn the grassroots' resilience mechanisms, explore opportunities for potential partnerships and highlight the work of ActionAid Bangladesh for building resilience to increase awareness."