Bangladesh Krishi Bank
Profile
- Total assets
- ৳413,529,400,000
- Deposits
- ৳405,708,400,000
- Gross NPL
- 27.51%
- CRAR
- — (n/a)
- Net profit
- ৳-23,848,500,000
- Chairman
- Dr Mohammad Zahid Hossain
- MD/CEO
- Sanchia Binte Ali
- Rating
- —
BKB holds the largest capital shortfall of any scheduled bank in Bangladesh at Tk 29,804 crore (September 2025), vs. Tk 18,188 crore at end-2024; NPLs surged from Tk 4,329 crore (June 2024) to Tk 17,538 crore (June 2025); the bank is pursuing a Tk 10,318 crore zero-coupon bond at 4% yield over 10 years (approval pending as of verification date); no cash recapitalisation injected under BNP government (sworn 2026-02-17); FY26 agri disbursement target is Tk 6,000 crore.
Recent activity
- 2026-02-12 other BKB received the Remittance Award-2025 from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, ranking 4th among all banks in remittance collection for FY2024-25; MD Sanchia Binte Ali accepted the award. ↗↗
- 2026-03-15 audit BB-disclosed data showed BKB's NPLs surged to Tk 17,538 crore (BDT 175.38 billion) by June 2025, up from Tk 4,329 crore at June 2024 -- a four-fold increase driven by tightened loan-classification norms (default trigger reduced from 9 months to 3 months in March 2025) and unmasking of previously concealed defaults. ↗↗
- 2026-03-30 regulatory_action BB data confirmed BKB held the highest capital shortfall of any scheduled bank in Bangladesh at Tk 29,804 crore as of September 2025, up from Tk 29,161 crore (June 2025) and Tk 18,188 crore (end-2024); no direct cash recapitalisation has been confirmed under either the interim or the BNP government. ↗↗
- 2026-04-20 other BKB received the Silver Award (2nd rank) at the NRB World Conference Series 2026 for foreign remittance collection; the bank collected USD 3.13 billion in remittances in calendar year 2025. ↗
Provenance & notes
Verification status is 'partial' because FY2024 audited balance sheet (total assets, deposits, gross loans) was not accessible from primary sources during this verification; the most recent audited figures (total assets Tk 41,352.94 crore, deposits Tk 40,570.84 crore, loans Tk 32,048.33 crore, NPL Tk 6,500.88 crore / 27.51%, net loss Tk 2,384.85 crore) are from the FY2022-23 annual report per search-engine-returned excerpt; FY2024 auditor's report and financial statements are listed on krishibank.gov.bd but the PDF was not parseable. Capital adequacy ratio is not reported in financials because BKB's CRAR is deeply negative (BB reports cite -40.10% as of June 2021; the bank's capital shortfall of Tk 18,188 crore at end-2024 implies a severely negative CAR well below the 12.5% regulatory minimum) and an exact figure for end-2024 or FY23 was not recoverable from accessible primary sources. Paid-up capital of Tk 900 crore (Tk 9,000 million) is confirmed from multiple directory and gazette sources; authorized capital raised to Tk 5,000 crore effective November 1, 2024 per gazette and press reports. Branch count of 1,029 is confirmed across multiple sources (all branches online per BKB). Chairman Dr Mohammad Zahid Hossain (ADB former Principal Economist, South Asia) joined October 20, 2024. MD Sanchia Binte Ali (former Sonali Bank DMD) is active through April 2026 per multiple press reports; exact appointment date not recoverable from accessible sources and set null. Employee count not verifiable from current primary sources; third-party directory figures vary wildly (556-1,072) and are unreliable proxies for a bank with over 1,000 branches. NPL data points (Tk 4,329 crore June 2024; Tk 17,538 crore June 2025) sourced from Dhaka Tribune/TBS citing BB aggregate data. Capital shortfall trajectory (Tk 18,188 crore end-2024, Tk 29,161 crore June 2025, Tk 29,804 crore September 2025) from BB-published aggregate data cited in Dhaka Tribune and TBS. Zero-coupon bond of Tk 10,318 crore at 4% yield was a BKB proposal first reported in 2021 and referenced in 2024-25 press; government approval not confirmed as of May 2026. FY26 agri sub-target of Tk 6,000 crore is from BB's FY2025-26 agricultural credit policy circular. BKB has been loss-making for over 30 years due to structural mandate (lend below market rate while carrying high agri-sector NPLs). BKB-RAKUB merger discussions remain inconclusive; described as 'toxic union of two insolvent entities' in press. Bank Resolution Act 2026 (BNP government, April 2026) addresses Islamic bank resolution but no specific BKB provision identified in sources reviewed.
Sources
- https://www.krishibank.org.bd/about-us/
- https://www.krishibank.org.bd/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ANNUAL-REPORT-2022-2023.pdf
- https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Bangladesh_Krishi_Bank
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Krishi_Bank
- http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-454.html
- https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/bkb-gets-dr-mohammad-zahid-hossain-as-new-chairman
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/banks/news/zahid-hossain-made-krishi-bank-chairman-3733111
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/banking/248324/zahid-joins-bkb-as-chairman
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/banks/394873/capital-shortfall-at-24-banks-hit-155-867.27c
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/capital-shortfall-23-banks-hits-tk282-lakh-crore-default-loans-drag-sector-negative
- https://businesspostbd.com/economy/banking/interim-govt-boosts-bkbs-capital-ceiling-by-tk3500cr
- https://www.thefinancetoday.net/article/bank/26439/Interim-govt-boosts-BKBs-capital-ceiling-by-Tk3500cr
- https://www.businessinsiderbd.com/banking-insurance/news/11532/krishi-bank-to-raise-tk10318cr-via-bonds-to-meet-capital-deficit
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/krishi-bank-way-too-short-cmsme-lending-target-1314881
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/banking/285501/bangladesh-krishi-bank-wins-remittance-award-2025
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/banks/407608/bangladesh-krishi-bank-honoured-as-2nd-top
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/banking/272852/bangladesh-bank-sets-tk-39000-crore-farm-loan-target-for-fy26
- https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/bb-announces-tk-39000cr-agro-and-rural-loan-target-for-fy2025-26/166049
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/banks/news/krishi-bank-incurring-losses-30-years-3452906
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/banking/277237/bkb-launches-90-day-special-programme