Bangladesh Bank has decided to withhold profits for 2024 and 2025 from depositors of five Islamic banks currently undergoing a merger process. The affected banks are First Security Islami Bank, Global Islami Bank, Union Bank, EXIM Bank, and Social Islami Bank, which are being consolidated into a new entity named Sammilit Islami Bank. The central bank announced the decision last Wednesday, stating that depositors will not receive profits for the two years, and any previously withdrawn profits will be deducted from their accounts.

The decision has sparked widespread anger among depositors, leading to disruptions in normal banking operations at some branches and a human chain protest in Dhaka’s Gulshan area. Depositors argued that they should not bear the burden of bank mismanagement and demanded full repayment of their deposits and due profits. Bank officials requested the central bank to reconsider, but the governor reaffirmed that the decision, based on Shariah principles, would not be reversed.

According to Bangladesh Bank sources, withholding two years of profits will reduce liabilities by about Tk 10,000 crore, lowering total deposits from Tk 1.31 trillion to an estimated Tk 1.21 trillion across the five banks, which currently serve around 7.5 million depositors.