BFIU urges stronger AML enforcement

Al-Arafah Islami Bank PLC, as the lead bank, hosted a day-long training workshop titled "Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing" at BRAC CDM in Gazipur on Saturday, 12 July 2025, with participation from 128 branch managers and BAMLCOs representing 47 scheduled banks across the district.

Md. Mofizur Rahman Khan Chowdhury, Director of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), inaugurated the programme as the chief guest. In his speech, he stressed the importance of practical enforcement alongside policy formulation: "Formulating policies is not enough to prevent money laundering; effective implementation is crucial. This kind of training is timely and essential to enhance the awareness and skills of bankers."

Mohd. Rafat Ullah Khan, Managing Director (Current Charge) of Al-Arafah Islami Bank, presided over the session. He said: "To meet international banking standards, acquiring expertise in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) is essential. This training aims to equip our officials to lead compliance efforts in their respective branches."

The workshop was also attended by Sajjad Hossain, Additional Director, BFIU; Md. Abdul Awal Chowdhury and Mehedi Hasan, Deputy Directors of BFIU, as special guests.

Senior officials from Al-Arafah Islami Bank, including Md. Abdur Rahim Duari, Principal of the Bank's Training Institute; Md. Yahia, Executive Vice President and CAMLCO, and Touhid Siddique, Senior Vice President, were also present.

The initiative reflects Al-Arafah Islami Bank's continued commitment to strengthening compliance frameworks and promoting AML-CFT best practices across the banking sector.