Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Ahsan H Mansur has urged Sonali Bank PLC to undergo a fundamental transformation, calling on the state-owned lender to become a fully commercial, profit-oriented institution capable of meeting its capital and regulatory obligations independently amid ongoing economic pressures.
Speaking at Sonali Bank's annual conference at a city convention centre, Mansur said that while the bank has long enjoyed a dominant position, it must now evolve to comply fully with capital adequacy and regulatory requirements without reliance on state support.
He outlined a vision for Sonali Bank to operate either as a wholesale lender or as a "360-degree bank", offering a full spectrum of financial services. Although progress has been made, he said its commercial operations remain incomplete and must become entirely profit-driven to ensure long-term sustainability.
The governor stressed that responsibility for preventing loans from turning non-performing lies primarily with field-level officials, urging them to identify creditworthy customers more effectively. He also called for greater lending to productive sectors, particularly ultra-micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), rather than an overreliance on large borrowers.
Mansur praised Sonali Bank's role during the global dollar crisis, noting that it had provided liquidity support to other banks when alternative funding sources were unavailable.
To strengthen the wider economy, he directed the bank to boost remittance inflows and export performance, expand its debit card business and digital service reach, and increase income through export-import commissions and diversified collection services.
