Editorial, News & commercial office:
55/A, H M Siddique Mansion (Level-7), Purana Paltan, Motijhel C/A, Dhaka-1000. Phone: +8802226640056,
e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Depositors of the newly consolidated Sammilito Islami Bank continued to withdraw their funds through regular banking channels on the second consecutive day, with 14,000 customers pulling out a cumulative Tk 670 crore across branch counters nationwide on Monday and Tuesday.
The total volume of actual cash withdrawals remained substantially below the aggregate claims submitted. Over the two-day period, 37,600 depositors had filed applications seeking to withdraw an aggregate of Tk 2,345 crore.
Official sources from the central bank and the consolidated lender confirmed the figures on Tuesday (September 8).
A senior Bangladesh Bank official stated that while 37,600 account holders formally applied to pull their funds, only 14,000 actually went through with collecting their deposits. Cash payouts rose moderately on the second day as several depositors who were unable to visit branches on Monday turned up on Tuesday. The central bank official affirmed that the bank honored all valid counter withdrawal requests in full compliance with customer demand.
Md. Abidur Rahman Sikdar, Managing Director of Sammilito Islami Bank, noted that only a fraction of those who initially filed withdrawal claims proceeded to cash out. He observed that many customers, upon witnessing smooth operations and normal liquidity flows across counters, decided against closing their accounts and walked away leaving their deposits intact. Sikdar added that branches have begun recording new deposit account openings as stability returns.
Sammilito Islami Bank was formed through the amalgamation of five Shariah-based lenders: First Security Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank, Union Bank, Global Islami Bank, and Exim Bank. The merged institution now commands a network of 761 branches nationwide.
Records show that a total of 74,000 withdrawal applications demanding Tk 3,925 crore have been submitted across the five merged entities. To facilitate deposit payouts, Bangladesh Bank injected a special liquidity support fund of Tk 5,000 crore to Sammilito Islami Bank on Sunday, which was disbursed from headquarters to branch vaults by Monday morning.
On-the-ground visits on Tuesday to branches in Dhaka's Motijheel, Paltan, and Malibagh areas showed depositors arriving early to recover long-stalled savings. Most customers successfully executed transactions over the counter without disruption, expressing relief at reclaiming their savings as operational normality returned to the bank.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/business/1f1ac03f-06b2-68b0-9652-87e1dd38fa67