The government plans a Tk 1 thousand 276 crore 30 lakh project to strengthen banking supervision, restructure weak institutions and modernize technology-based financial systems. Preparations are complete to place the project before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for approval. It will be among 15 projects presented at an ECNEC meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Cabinet Room at the Secretariat. Prime Minister and ECNEC Chair Tareque Rahman will preside.
Bangladesh Bank will implement the five-year Financial Sector Support Project-2, or FSSP-2, from July 2026 to June 2031. Much of the funding will be spent on information technology equipment, software, training and consulting services. Of the total cost, Tk 1 thousand 261 crore 54 lakh will come as foreign financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association. Bangladesh Bank will provide the remaining Tk 14 crore 76 lakh. The project includes no direct government financing or GoB allocation.
The Planning Commission recommended the project for ECNEC approval. Its main aims are to strengthen financial-sector safeguards, modernize supervision, expand technical capacity and make bank resolution and restructuring more effective.
Most of the budget will go to technology infrastructure. The project allocates Tk 711 crore 71 lakh 56 thousand for ICT equipment, Tk 355 crore 36 lakh 5 thousand for computer software, and Tk 7 crore 64 lakh 19 thousand for database development. Another Tk 1 crore 5 lakh 46 thousand is planned for computers and accessories. Total capital spending is set at Tk 1 thousand 77 crore 24 lakh 43 thousand.
The project plans to train 3,565 people with an allocation of Tk 70 crore 77 lakh 47 thousand. IDA will finance Tk 67 crore 77 lakh 47 thousand of that amount, while Bangladesh Bank will provide Tk 3 crore.
A further Tk 94 crore 43 lakh 62 thousand is allocated for individual and institutional consultants. The plan sets aside Tk 29 crore 9 lakh 75 thousand for individual consultants and Tk 65 crore 33 lakh 87 thousand for institutional services.
Project documents identify several major weaknesses in the country’s financial sector, including high nonperforming loans, governance gaps, administrative inefficiency and outdated IT systems. They say several banks, particularly some state-owned and Islamic institutions, face liquidity and capital shortages.
The project will strengthen Bangladesh Bank’s supervision and its capacity for bank resolution and restructuring. It also covers better governance and financial stability at state-owned banks, greater capacity for the Deposit Insurance Trust Fund and faster deposit repayment when needed.
The documents say outdated ICT infrastructure and limits in integrated information management are hindering responses to cyberattacks, cross-border financial risks and other emerging crises, potentially affecting depositor confidence and overall financial stability.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report