A significant breach of conventional administrative procedure has emerged within Bangladesh Bank, as a member of the Board of Directors unilaterally directed the collection of sensitive agricultural loan data without the knowledge of the Governor. The request, issued via email after business hours on Thursday, has sent ripples through the banking sector, raising questions about political interference and institutional governance.
An Unprecedented Administrative Leap
The directive specifically sought granular details on agricultural and rural loans amounting to 10,000 BDT or less. Banks were instructed to provide the total principal, interest or profit, and the outstanding balance as of 31 December 2025. The deadline for this data was set for noon on Sunday, an unusually short timeframe for a request of this magnitude.
The Governor of the central bank, Ahsan H. Mansur, expressed complete unawareness of the move. “I am not aware whether banks were asked for such data; I will look into the matter,” he told reporters, highlighting a startling lack of internal coordination at the highest level of the nation’s financial regulator.
Identification of the Director
Sources within the Agricultural Credit Department identified the director behind the push as Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, a professor at Dhaka University and chairperson of the research organisation Unnayan Onneshan. Despite multiple attempts to secure a comment, Professor Titumir remained unavailable.
The protocol for such a request typically involves a formal note submitted by the relevant department to an Executive Director or Deputy Governor, often requiring the Governor’s final nod. In this instance, the standard chain of command appears to have been bypassed entirely.
The Banking Sector’s Trepidation
Managing Directors of both state-owned and private banks have voiced their concerns regarding the potential motive behind the data haul. Many fear it presages a populist political decision to waive small-scale loans—a move that could severely impair bank liquidity.
| Bank Type | Estimated Small Borrowers | Potential Outstanding Impact |
| State-Owned Bank (Example) | 30,000+ | ~50 Crore BDT |
| Private Commercial Bank | 10,000 – 15,000 | ~20 Crore BDT |
| Specialised Agri-Banks | 100,000+ | ~150+ Crore BDT |
One Managing Director of a state-owned bank warned: “These are depositors’ funds. They cannot be written off arbitrarily. If a political decision is imposed to waive these loans, the financial burden on the sector will be immense.”
Allegations of Political Bias
The timing and manner of the request have led to accusations of “unprofessional behaviour.” Some senior bankers suggested that since the political shifts of 5 August, the central bank has increasingly appeared to align with specific political agendas rather than maintaining its traditional role as an independent monetary authority. The concern remains that such data could be used to formulate election-period concessions that benefit political narratives at the expense of fiscal discipline.