A bank account holder can withdraw cash up to two lakh taka a day for this week given the current security situation, according to a Bangladesh Bank circular. The central bank issued the instruction to the MDs of all commercial banks through SMS on Saturday. It will be effective from Sunday, the first working day of the week. Earlier on Thursday the maximum cash withdrawal limit was set at one lakh taka.    Read more: Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf resigns However, businesspeople can draw larger amount of cash for payment of salaries of employees ensuring security on their own, said the circular. The same is applicable for the expatriates. The central bank also asked banks to supervise that a person cannot withdraw money from multiple branches of banks in a day. This directive should be followed especially in the case of key political leaders. On Thursday, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) under the BB was ordered to report any amount of money withdrawn by a politically important person. The names of political leaders, bank chairmen, businessmen, secretaries, and senior police officers are on this list. Such instruction is given mainly to prevent any person from withdrawing money for criminal activity or escaping from the country. Read more: Bangladesh Bank operates without governor and deputy governors

Bangladesh Bank has further extended the currently maintained limited banking transaction hours until May 5 in compliance with the government’s decision to extend the strict lockdown for one week more. According to a Bangladesh Bank circular, issued on Wednesday, the current banking transactions hours from 10 am to 1 pm will continue till May 5 in accordance with the Cabinet Division’s memo on this matter.  Earlier, Bangladesh Bank in a circular on April 13 said, instructed the banks to operate general transactions from 10 am to 1 pm and keep open until 2:30 pm for necessary works every working day until April 21 and then it was extended until April 28. Normally, banks operate from 10 am to 4 pm everyday. Also read: Bangladesh extends lockdown until May 5 The new circular also said that all other instructions will remain unchanged as per the circular of April 13 where it was said that banks can keep one non-AD branch open within 2 km radius in the city corporation areas and in upazila level one branch of each bank can open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday. The banks have to take measures to provide transport facilities for the staff during the period. The BB circular also said, during the banking transaction hours, the banks have to ensure different kinds of services including clearing of cheques, withdrawal and deposits of money, money transfer, release of remittance, encashment of different instruments and also receipt of the payments of bills of different utilities. BB said banks have to continue services like disbursement of loans, incentives, payment of salaries of different industries and also the purchase of export bills, loan sanction and distribution. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 77 deaths, new cases 2,955 The banks have to follow instructions in keeping the branches located in the port areas about the coronavirus in discussion with the local administration and other authorities, as per circular issued on August 5 last year, it said. The banks have to operate their activities through limited staffs under a roster system. They have to ensure operation of the ATM booths to facilitate transaction through cards by supply of adequate cash in the machines while the evening banking and weekly holiday banking activities will remain closed until further order, said the circular, said the circular  issued on April 13.

Bank borrowers can repay their loans until June 30 instead of the earlier deadline of March 31 without being defaulters. A Bangladesh Bank circular, issued on Tuesday, gave this relaxation to the bank borrowers. Also read: BB further relaxes loan repayments to financial institutions It said the measure was taken considering the negative impact of coronavirus on Bangladesh's economy. In the existing situation, those who will face trouble in repaying their loan installments by March 2021, can make their repayments until June 30 on the basis of bank-client relation. Also read: BB relaxes loan repayment method for coronavirus “In this case, their loans would not be classified,” it said, adding that other policies will remain applicable in case of calculating the loans, lease, interest on advances and profits while no penalty interest or extra fee will be charged.

Changing the previous day’s decision on closure of banks, Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday took a fresh decision that banks will operate from 10 am to 1 pm for general transactions from April 14 to April 21 during the 'all-out lockdown' declared by the government. The banks can remain open up to 2:30 pm for execution of other required activities, said a Bangladesh Bank circular, issued at 8 pm on Tuesday. They can keep one non-AD branch open within 2 km radius in the city corporation area and in upazila level one branch of each bank can open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday, it said.  Also read: People’s lives come first: PM Hasina The banks have to take measures to provide transport facilities for the staff during the period. The BB circular also said, during the banking transaction hours, the banks have to ensure different kinds of services including clearing of cheques, withdrawal and deposits of money, money transfer, release of remittance, encashment of different instruments and also receipt of the payments of bills of different utilities.  BB said banks have to continue services like disbursement of loans, incentives, payment of salaries of different industries and also the purchase of export bills, loan sanction and distribution. Also read: Bangladesh’s complete lockdown set to begin on Apr 14; notification issued The banks have to follow instructions in keeping the branches located in the port areas about the coronavirus in discussion with the local administration and other authorities, as per circular issued on August 5 last year, it said. The banks have to operate their activities through limited staffs under a rostering. They have to ensure operation of the ATM booths to facilitate transaction through cards by supply of adequate cash in the machines while the evening banking and weekly holiday banking activities will remain closed until further order, said the circular.

Cinema hall owners will get Tk 1,000 crore long-term soft loans under the refinancing scheme of Bangladesh Bank to construct modern cinema halls and also renovate the old ones.

Bangladesh Bank has brought another relaxation in repayment of loans by allowing the borrowers to make their due payments to financial institutions in more installments considering the Covid-19 effects.

 The amount of working capital loan for Covid-19 affected industries and service sectors under the Prime Minister’s announced Economic Stimulus Package has been raised to Tk 40,000 crore from Tk 33,000 crore, a Bangladesh Bank circular said Thursday.

Banks and other financial lenders will now have to maintain 2 percent general provision  against unsecured loans instead of the earlier 5 percent. Unclassified loans are those that the lender considers to be at high risk of default. A Bangladesh Bank circular, issued on Tuesday, said that with a view to meeting emergent demand of consumer loans and to encourage the participation of lenders in this segment, it has now been decided that the banks will have to maintain 2 perce

Bank branches will remain closed on Tuesday in parts of the country where elections and by-elections to different upazila and union councils will be held on the day, said a Bangladesh Bank circular.

The local branches of scheduled banks will remain closed on September 26 (Saturday) in areas under Pabna-4 parliamentary seat which will go to by-polls.