United Commercial Bank PLC
Profile
- Total assets
- ৳772,183,000,000
- Deposits
- ৳545,599,000,000
- Gross NPL
- 14.76%
- CRAR
- 10.59% (category-1)
- Net profit
- ৳80,600,000
- Chairman
- Sharif Zahir
- MD/CEO
- Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid
- Rating
- AA
UCB is in a major restructuring phase following governance crisis linked to legacy ownership. Board was reconstituted in August 2024 after political changeover; ~40 officials resigned following internal forensic audit. FY2024 net profit collapsed 96% to Tk 8 crore as the bank provisioned aggressively for an NPL ratio of ~14.76%. CAR of 10.59% is below the regulatory minimum of 12.5% (including conservation buffer). No FY2024 dividend. Board approved subordinate bond and rights issue to rebuild capital. Chairman Sharif Zahir targets sustainable profitability within two years.
Recent activity
- 2024-08-29 appointment Sharif Zahir was unanimously elected chairman of UCB PLC at a board meeting on 29 August 2024, following Bangladesh Bank's reconstitution of the board after the August 2024 political changeover. Md. Tanvir Khan elected EC chairman; Obaidur Rahman FCA elected Audit Committee chairman. ↗↗
- 2024-10-01 appointment Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid (ex-MD/CEO of NCC Bank PLC) appointed as Managing Director and CEO of UCB PLC, bringing 30+ years of banking experience including prior stints at Citibank, BRAC Bank, and UCB itself. ↗↗
- 2024-11-01 other UCB required approximately 40 officials including senior management to resign following internal investigations into financial irregularities by previous board and management. ↗
- 2025-04-01 earnings UCB approved audited FY2024 financials; net profit after tax collapsed to Tk 8.06 crore (BDT 80.6 million), down ~96% from Tk 219.8 crore in FY2023, as the bank allocated its entire operating profit to provisions for NPLs. No dividend declared for FY2024. EPS BDT 0.05; NAV per share BDT 26.42. ↗↗
- 2025-05-01 capital_injection UCB board approved issuance of subordinate bonds and rights shares to strengthen capital base; bank also progressing on taking on board strategic partners. Subordinate bond formalities completed and issuance commenced to address Tier-2 capital shortfall. ↗
Provenance & notes
Establishment: incorporated 26 June 1983, banking commenced 27 June 1983 per corporate information page and Wikipedia; one of Bangladesh's first-generation private commercial banks. DSE listing 1986, CSE listing 1995. Authorized capital BDT 25,000 million; paid-up capital BDT 15,503.758 million (BDT 15,504 million rounded) per ucb.com.bd corporate information (April 2026) and DSE profile (BDT 15,503.76 million). Balance sheet (total assets BDT 772,183 million, deposits BDT 545,599 million, loans BDT 578,131 million) from stockanalysis.com FY2024 balance sheet, confirmed by DSE NAV data (BDT 26.42 × 1,550.376 million shares ≈ BDT 40,960 million equity, roughly consistent with a BDT 772 billion asset base). Net profit BDT 80.06 million (Tk 8.006 crore) confirmed by DSE EPS BDT 0.05 × 1,550.376 million shares ≈ BDT 77.5 million (rounding consistent). FY2023 net profit BDT 2,198 million (Tk 219.8 crore) per stockanalysis.com income statement; 96% decline to BDT 80.6 million in FY2024 attributable to provision for loan losses rising from BDT 3,793 million (2023) to BDT 11,853 million (2024). NPL ratio: TBS and Daily Star reporting cite 14% NPL ratio on outstanding loans; UCB FY2024 audited statements filed at CSE (ucb.com.bd / cse.com.bd) disclose classified loans of Tk 8,534.40 crore = BDT 85,344 million; gross advances BDT 578,131 million → NPL ratio = 85,344 / 578,131 = 14.76% (calculated). NPL BDT field set to BDT 85,340,000,000 (Tk 8,534 crore rounded per CSE auditor disclosure). CAR 10.59% cited in CSE-uploaded auditor qualified opinion doc and confirmed by multiple news references to it falling below the 12.5% regulatory minimum; set as 10.59. Chairman Sharif Zahir elected 29 August 2024 per TBS; this is confirmed from multiple sources. MD/CEO Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid: announced late September / published 1 October 2024 per TFE article URL timestamp 1727720019 = 2024-09-30; md_ceo_since set to 2024-10-01 (effective date consistent with article date). Bashundhara Group connection: there is an MOU for payroll banking services for Bashundhara Group employees (TBS article confirmed) but no equity ownership stake in UCB by Bashundhara Group is confirmed; Wikipedia does not list Bashundhara as a shareholder. Historical governance note: founding sponsor Humayun Zahir murdered 1993; armed board takeover 1999 by Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury family who controlled the bank for ~25 years until BB reconstituted the board in August 2024. Government ownership 0.81% and foreign ownership 0.50% per DSE shareholding (April 2026). Employee count 5,994 and ATM/CRM booths 702 per ucb.com.bd corporate information (as of April 2026). Branch count 236 per same source (April 2026). Sub-branch count not separately disclosed; 228 branches + 2 SME centers + 1 OBU = 231 per older figure; using 236 as current from corporate info. Agent banking contact page exists on ucb.com.bd but total outlet count not confirmed — set to null. Long-term rating 'AA' per Wikipedia (2022 data); no 2025-26 rating reaffirmation found from a retrievable primary source; agency name unknown for current period — rating_agency and rating_as_of set to null, rating_long_term left as 'AA' with caveat in notes. CAR 10.59% below BB's 12.5% threshold; capital shortfall Tk 1,385.19 crore as of June 2025. ROA and ROE not computed — set to null. Verification_status=partial: balance sheet, income statement, NPL, and CAR cross-confirmed from multiple sources; rating lacks 2025-26 primary confirmation; sub-branch and agent banking counts not confirmed.
Sources
- https://stockanalysis.com/quote/dse/UCB/financials/balance-sheet/
- https://stockanalysis.com/quote/dse/UCB/financials/
- https://www.dsebd.org/displayCompany.php?name=UCB
- https://www.ucb.com.bd/know-ucb/corporate-information/
- https://www.ucb.com.bd/know-ucb/about-us/board-of-directors/
- https://www.ucb.com.bd/know-ucb/about-us/senior-management/mr-mohammad-mamdudur-rashid
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Commercial_Bank_(Bangladesh)
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/sharif-zahir-elected-chairman-ucb-928881
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/sharif-zahir-new-chairman-ucb-3689851
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/mis/246589/rashid-appointed-as-md-ceo-of-ucb
- https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/stock-corporate/mamdudur-rashid-new-ucb-md-1727720019
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/banking/249306/ucb-asks-40-officials-to-resign
- https://www.ucb.com.bd/know-ucb/investor-relations/financial-statements
- https://www.ucb.com.bd/reports/shareholder-reports/annual-report/annual-report-2024.pdf
- https://www.ucb.com.bd/reports/financial-statements/audited-financial-statements-as-on-31-december-2024.pdf
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/ucb-eyes-sustainable-profitability-within-two-years-3926731
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/banks/news/the-long-dark-past-ucb-3689036
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/corporates/united-commercial-bank-signs-mou-bashundhara-group-761914