Bengal Commercial bank steps into its sixth year with a focus on compliance and financial inclusion

1. Bengal Commercial Bank is stepping into its sixth year of journey. How would you evaluate the Bank's journey over the past five years?

Over the past five years, Bengal Commercial Bank PLC has experienced steady growth, resilience, and strategic progress. From its inception, the Bank has focused on building a strong institutional foundation, expanding its branch network and delivering innovative financial services to the customers across the country.

Despite operating in a highly competitive banking environment, we have successfully positioned ourselves as a reliable and progressive financial institution. Moreover, the huge impact of COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Forex crisis, instability in dollar price, and lack of confidence in the banking sector impacted our strategies and the usual growth of our Bank. Our achievements are the result of the collective efforts of our employees, the trust of our valued customers and the guidance of our Board of Directors. As we step into the sixth year of our journey, we take pride in our progress while remaining committed to continuous improvement and sustainable growth.

2. What key achievements would you like to highlight as the most significant during this period?

Over the past five years, Bengal Commercial Bank has achieved several notable milestones. The most significant achievements were that the Bank has maintained strong asset quality and remained uncompromised in compliance, resulting in zero NPLs for three consecutive years since its inception. Even with an increasing volume of business, the Bank still managed to maintain a very low level of NPL, which is in line with the lowest NPL among the country's Banks.

The Bank is rated as "AA-", which reflects our sound financial position, strong capital base, and effective management practices. In terms of outreach, the bank has made remarkable progress in expanding its branch network in a relatively short period. Currently, we operate 34 branches and sub-branches, including Four full-fledged Islamic Banking Branches across the country, enabling us to bring modern banking services closer to customers in different regions.

Various innovative segmented products and other standard products of the banking industry have been amalgamated into the service chart of Bengal Commercial Bank. We designed our home loan facility for individuals with a maximum loan amount of BDT 4.00 crore, which is allowed only by four banks in the industry.

In recognition of our innovation and service excellence, the bank received the Global Brand Award in 2023, an important international acknowledgement of our brand strength and growing reputation in the financial sector.

3. What has been the guiding philosophy behind the bank's growth and sustainability in Bangladesh's banking sector?

The guiding philosophy behind the growth of Bengal Commercial Bank PLC has always been rooted in customer trust, reliability and responsible banking. From the very beginning, the Bank has focused on building strong and lasting relationships with its customers by ensuring transparency, integrity and consistent service quality.

In a competitive banking landscape like Bangladesh, we believe that sustainable growth comes from earning the confidence of our customers. By delivering dependable financial solutions, maintaining high ethical standards and prioritizing customer needs, we strive to position the Bank as a trusted financial partner for individuals and businesses alike.

Our commitment to reliability and customer-centric service continues to guide our strategic decisions and plays a key role in strengthening our presence in the country's banking sector. Our Management and Board of Directors were uncompromised in regards maintaining compliances and Good Governance in the affairs of the Bank.

4. CMSME plays a crucial role in Bangladesh's economy. How is Bengal Commercial Bank supporting the growth of CMSME entrepreneurs across the country?

CMSMEs are the backbone of our economy, contributing significantly to employment generation and growing economic activity. Bengal Commercial Bank PLC. is committed to support these entrepreneurs through tailored financial solutions, accessible credit facilities and advisory support.

We have introduced specialized financing schemes designed to meet the diverse needs of CMSME entrepreneurs. The Bank prioritized on CMSME by providing almost 33% of it's total loan and aiming to reach the percentage by 50% within the nearest time. In this connection, the Bank signed agreement with RSA Advisory Ltd., the leading advisory firm of the country to soar the CMSME business of the Bank.

5. Now a days Digital banking is transforming the financial landscape across the world. How Bengal Commercial Bank is leveraging technology to enhance its services to cope with the changing scenario?

Digital transformation is redefining the way of banking services are delivered and the Bank has been proactively embracing technology to provide faster, safer and more convenient banking solutions for its customers.

The Bank introduced i-Banking by which our customers are executing their banking activities through online anytime from anywhere. We launched a fully compatible i-banking application and BENGAL iNSPIRE App, which offers a 24/7 digital banking experience through smartphones.

The Bank for further convenience of it's customers has integrated digital solutions that allow customers to pay utility bills as well as pay government taxes and fees payments through "A-Challan" "Ekpay" system, ensuring smooth and secured transactions in collaboration with government platforms.

Beyond transaction services, Bengal Commercial Bank also maintains an active presence on social media platforms, which enables the bank to engage directly with customers, share important updates and respond promptly to customer queries.

In addition to these Bengal Commercial Bank became the only bank in Bangladesh to conduct its banking operations through BACH (BACPS & BEFTN) using the clearing house of Bangladesh Bank without the support or sponsorship of any other bank. This remarkable accomplishment marked a first in the country's banking history and demonstrated the bank's strong technological readiness and operational capability from the outset. In recognition of this achievement, Bangladesh Bank honored Bengal Commercial Bank with a special award.

Bengal Commercial Bank conducts it's activities through modern equipped Core Banking Solution (CBS) that integrates its branch network, digital channels, and operational processes into a unified platform. This centralized system enables real-time transaction processing, faster service delivery, improved data security, and smooth connectivity across all branches and digital touch points, ensuring that customers receive consistent and reliable banking services from anywhere in the country.

6. Customer service is often considered the cornerstone of a successful bank. How does Bengal Commercial Bank prioritize customer satisfaction?

At Bengal Commercial Bank PLC., customer satisfaction remains at the heart of everything we do. We believe that strong relationships with customers are built through trust, responsiveness, and personalized services.

To enhance service quality, we continuously train our employees, strengthen customer feedback mechanisms and adopt modern service standards across our branches. Our goal is to ensure that every customer interaction reflects professionalism, efficiency, and care.

7. How does Bengal Commercial Bank ensure transparency, compliance and responsible banking practices?

Transparency, accountability and compliance are fundamental pillars of our operations. Bengal Commercial Bank PLC. strictly adheres to the Rules and Regulations of Bangladesh Bank alongwith other regulators. The Bank strictly follows Good Governance practices and ensures all the provisions of internal control systems in the day to day affairs of the Bank. We also emphasize on effective risk management frameworks, and ethical banking practices to ensure long-term stability. These measures help us maintain customer trust and reinforce our reputation as a responsible financial institution.

8. Bringing unbanked people under formal banking services remains a major challenge. How is Bengal Commercial Bank working to expand financial inclusion?

Financial inclusion remains one of our strategic priorities from obtaining license of the Bank. Bengal Commercial Bank PLC is actively expanding its branch network and offering simplified banking services to reach underserved communities. The Bank introduces different inclusive products to bring the unbanked people in the formal banking stream. The Bank launched Micro-credit, Micro-finance and CMSME products to bring the unbanked individuals especially those live in rural and semi-urban areas into the formal financial system.

9. What initiatives are being taken by your Bank to support women entrepreneurs, youth and rural businesses?

Empowering women and young entrepreneurs are an important focus area for Bengal Commercial Bank PLC. We are working to provide dedicated financing programs, advisory services, and capacity-building initiatives that support women-led businesses and young entrepreneurs.Additionally, we continue to explore opportunities to support rural enterprises by offering accessible banking services and financing options that encourage sustainable local economic development.

10. As Bengal Commercial Bank enters into the sixth year of its journey, what is your vision for the bank over the next five years?

Looking ahead, our vision is to transform Bengal Commercial Bank PLC. into a strong, innovative and customer-focused bank that contributes meaningfully to the economic progress of Bangladesh.Over the next five years, we aim to strengthen our digital capabilities, expand our footprint across the country and enhance our service quality while maintaining strong governance and financial stability.Our ultimate goal is to become a trusted banking partner for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses, supporting their growth and helping build a prosperous future for the nation.