Sammilito Islami Bank inauguration postponed

The inauguration ceremony of Sammilito Islami Bank, scheduled to be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday at Hotel Intercontinental Dhaka, has been postponed due to security concerns.

Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan said the decision was taken following announcements of a sit-in protest by depositors and bank officials from different levels in Chattogram. 

He noted that information about the programme had been widely circulated on social media, raising concerns over security at the venue.

Khan added that the matter was discussed between Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur and Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed. 

“Considering the overall security situation, the decision was taken to cancel the event,” he said.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed was scheduled to attend the ceremony as chief guest, while Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder and Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur were to be present as special guests. 

The event was to be presided over by Sammilito Islami Bank Chairman Mohammad Ayub Miah, with senior officials from Bangladesh Bank, the Finance Ministry and leading financial institutions also expected to attend.

Sammilito Islami Bank PLC was formed through the merger of First Security Islami Bank, Global Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank, EXIM Bank and Union Bank. 

The newly formed bank has one of the largest capital bases in Bangladesh’s banking history, with an authorised capital of Tk40,000 crore and a paid-up capital of Tk35,000 crore, including Tk20,000 crore from the government and Tk15,000 crore through conversion of depositors’ shares.

SH