BB chief urges banks to have own 5-year plan

Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman on Thursday urged the banks to
prepare their own five- year plan for the growth of the sector. 'We have
already planned to introduce a five-year strategy and all banks should
prepare their own five-year plan,' he said while inaugurating a three-day
Bank and Non- Bank Financial Institutions Fair-09 at Sheraton Hotel in
Dhaka. He said, 'A five-yean plan will tell us where we will stand after
the period.' The BB chief urged the banks and NBFIs to work hard to earn
greater customer confidence and consolidate their financial bases. He
said the concept of public private partnership could not be successful
without the help of the banks and other financial institutions. The BB
governor also urged the banks and the NBFIs to expand the purview of their
corporate social responsibility. 'Banks and other financial institutions
should consider streaming CSR funds into productive sectors like
agriculture and small and medium enterprises,' he said. Atiur also
emphasised on rationalising the service charges of various banks in the
country and displaying the service charges on their web sites for the
benefit of the people. On the fair, he said such expositions could
solve information asymmetry problem and build confidence among the
consumers. Association of Bankers, Bangladesh chairman Kazi Mahmud
Sattar, and Bangladesh Insurance Association chairman AKM Rafiqul Islam,
among others, also spoke at the function chaired by Sheraton Hotel general
manager Trevor MacDonald. Twenty-five banks and NBFIs are showcasing
and offering their products and services in the fair.