Md Mehedi Hasan

Investigation is my foremost interest

Md Mehedi Hasan, Bangladeshi investigative journalist covering financial crimes especially in banking industry. Currently, working at The Daily Star as senior staff reporter with more than eight years of experience in the field of journalism.

BB reverts to bank bailout despite inflation worries

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has backtracked on its decision to refrain from injecting fresh funds into crisis-hit banks in its efforts to curb persistent inflation.

4d ago

BB’s leniency to blame for ailing banking sector

Banking rules and regulations stipulate a single borrower exposure limit but the banking regulator itself disregarded the rule routinely in the last 16 years.

1w ago

AB Bank’s health shows no signs of improvement

Once a reputable private commercial lender, AB Bank’s financial health is now deteriorating gradually due to boardroom mismanagement, loan irregularities, illegal facilities availed by its sponsors and inaccurate measures by the central bank.

1w ago

Social Islami Bank has no ‘untraceable’ loans

Social Islami Bank PLC stands out among crisis-hit banks with no “untraceable” loans, a factor that will catalyse its swift recovery, according to M Sadiqul Islam, the new chairman of the Shariah-based lender.

1w ago

Bank owners’ forum was useless during AL time

The Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), the private bank owners’ forum, will work with the central bank governor and the finance adviser to rejuvenate the banking sector, weakened under 15 years of Awami League rule, said its new chairman Abdul Hai Sarker.

1w ago

Defaulted loans may double next year

The defaulted loan figure is set to double as the Bangladesh Bank is set to tighten the classification rules for all types of loans by March next year to meet the International Monetary Fund’s loan conditions.

1w ago

Bad loans hit alarming record

Awami League-affiliated businesses had already put the country’s banking sector in trouble with huge bad debts, but the loans disbursed through irregularities to these companies turned sour even at a more alarming pace after the party’s ouster.

2w ago

Import payment delay a reputational loss for Bangladesh: BB

Despite an overall improvement in foreign currency stocks, some state-run banks and Shariah-based lenders are not making import payments on time, prompting the central bank to issue a notice and warn of punitive actions against bank officials.

2w ago
November 4, 2024
November 4, 2024

Rising remittance provides a breather amid forex crisis

Remittance inflow has continued to rise for the past few months, providing a breather for a country facing multiple challenges, including external payment pressures amid dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

November 1, 2024
November 1, 2024

Tk 3,000cr export fund held up in four troubled banks

A large chunk of a Tk 10,000 crore central bank fund, meant for financing raw material imports for export orders, remains stuck with four crisis-hit banks, according to Bangladesh Bank officials.

October 29, 2024
October 29, 2024

BB probe into Union Bank: ‘S Alam staffer’ took Tk 118cr sans approval

A “staffer of S Alam Group” took out Tk 118 crore from Union Bank without any approval or following any banking norms, indicating how the controversial business conglomerate used the bank.

October 27, 2024
October 27, 2024

Pubali Bank’s journey to the top

While more than a dozen banks in Bangladesh are struggling to stay afloat, Pubali Bank, which has emerged as one of the leading private commercial lenders, stands as a glowing example of how to traverse difficult times.

October 17, 2024
October 17, 2024

Cash outside banks keeps rising

The volume of cash outside the banking sector of Bangladesh has been increasing since the start of the year due to persistent inflation, the loss of consumer confidence in the sector due to the presence of ailing lenders, and the prevailing situation following the recent political changeover.

October 14, 2024
October 14, 2024

16 NBFIs face total provision shortfall of Tk 1,954cr

Sixteen non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) faced a combined provision shortfall of Tk 1,954 crore till June this year, reflecting that their financial health had worsened.

October 11, 2024
October 11, 2024

Crisis-hit banks repaying depositors for emergencies, basic needs

As crisis-hit lenders have started getting liquidity support from the inter-bank money market, they are now repaying depositors for specific purposes, such as medical emergencies, and in the case of salary disbursement or remittance encashment.

October 9, 2024
October 9, 2024

EkPay offering payment services without licence

EkPay, an e-payment system of the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) programme of the government, has been offering all types of payment services without obtaining a licence from the Bangladesh Bank (BB), which is in clear violation of the Payment and Settlement System Act-2024.

October 7, 2024
October 7, 2024

Non-banks’ default loans hit record high

Non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in the past fiscal year saw their defaulted loans reach a record 33.15 percent of all disbursed loans, according to the central bank, indicating a fragile situation in the sector thanks to widespread loan irregularities and scams.

October 6, 2024
October 6, 2024

$800m repayment to Russia in limbo

About $809 million has piled up in a Bangladesh Bank escrow account to repay loans and interest for the Russia-funded Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.