Dhaka: State-owned Rupali Bank is making strides in its efforts to recover approximately Tk 22,000 crore in non-performing loans (NPLs), with a dedicated taskforce actively working on the recovery process. According to a recent statement by Managing Director (MD) Kazi Md. Wahidul Islam, Tk 1,700 crore has already been retrieved through these efforts.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the MD shared these developments during an exclusive interview at the bank’s head office in Motijheel. Wahidul Islam revealed that the bank’s defaulted loans, disbursed to various institutions over the past 16 years, have accumulated to this substantial figure. In response, the bank has intensified its recovery efforts, forming a dedicated taskforce earlier this year to address classified loans.
The taskforce comprises two specialised groups operating from the head office under the leadership of the MD and Deputy Managing Directors (DMDs). General Managers (GMs) have been assigned specific zones and major loan accounts, while Deputy General Managers (DGMs) focus on branch-level monitoring to ensure comprehensive oversight.
“We have declared 2025 as the year for defaulted loan recovery,” Wahidul Islam stated, noting that officers and employees have been given individual recovery targets since February 3, based on their designation. This initiative aims to address both classified and centrally classified written-off loans.
Committees have been established at the GM and DGM offices at field and branch levels to support this effort. The MD added, “We are going to the field with DMDs from the head office and in their absence, we are taking the GM.”
The bank has conducted conferences with DGMs of the recovery department at the field level in each divisional zone. Wahidul Islam highlighted, “Our main focus is on the recovery of classified loans,” with data indicating successful recovery through cash and coordination.
The MD reported that approximately Tk 1,100 crore has been recovered in cash, with an additional Tk 650 crore recovered through coordination and cash.
Customer service is a priority, with 586 branches of Rupali Bank serving clients nationwide. Wahidul Islam emphasized the importance of selecting reliable customers to ensure sustainable development.
In response to inquiries about absconding borrowers, Wahidul Islam stated, “I do not know exactly about the absconding borrowers, but we are looking at whether there are transactions in the account.”
The bank has disbursed loans worth around Tk 2,600 crore this year, focusing on the CMS sector. Plans for branch expansion are underway, with 44 branches from last year’s list being resubmitted.
Wahidul Islam, who became the Managing Director in December 2024, is committed to modernizing the bank’s operations. The former Rupali Sure Cash service has been rebranded as “Rupali Cash,” now managed in-house since 2016.
The MD acknowledged the strategic guidance of the bank’s board of directors, led by Chairman Nazrul Huda, in steering the institution forward.