Experts at a workshop on Thursday underpinned the need for ensuring undistorted and competitive structure of banking activities for sound market development and business. They expressed identical view that through sustainable banking activities a bank aims at addressing qualities of profitability in economic, social and environment fronts. Keeping this in mind, thus sustainable banking cannot be desegregated from the key concerns of corporate governance, leadership and CSR practices by banks, they added.
They said waste management, bio-diversity, warehouse and green transportation should get due emphasis on obtaining required benefits in near future. They came up with these observations at the review workshop on 'Sustainable Banking Activities of Bangladesh' organized by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) at its auditorium in the city.
Chairman BIBM Executive Committee and Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank S M Moniruzzaman said Bangladesh Bank mainly focused on three broad areas under sustainable banking-- green banking, corporate social responsibility and financial inclusion. He said, "The green banking initiatives improve awareness and knowledge of bankers as well as of the customers regarding environmental risks and green financing." The paper noted that the major financing in green activities is mostly facilitated by PCBs, he said adding in the area of CSR, both the banks and NBFIs continued to maintain major share in humanitarian and disaster relief and education. He also said to boost up the sector further and contribute to the economy through sustainable banking the research team has conceptualized sustainable banking activities and identified some vital issues which need to be addressed by the regulatory body and the banking community as a whole. Director General of BIBM, Md Nazimuddin said output of the study along with opinions and observations made today will help BB take future actions. BIBM's Muzaffer Ahmed Chair Professor and former professor of Dhaka University Barkat-e-Khuda said, "The research team has also made some important recommendations for consideration of operating banks in the country. I hope the deliberations of this review workshop will be very helpful for all concerned." However, a good number of participants, including senior bank executives, academicians, media representatives and faculty members of BIBM took part in the roundtable discussion. Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, Supernumerary Professor of BIBM and former Managing Director of Pubali Bank Limited and Yasin Ali, former Supernumerary Professor of BIBM, spoke, among others, at the event.