Eleven public and private commercial banks have set up special funds for investment in the capital market in line with the central bank's advice to revive the market that facing slump.
The banks are: state-owned Sonali Bank Limited, Janata Bank Ltd, and Rupali Ltd; United Commercial Bank, Shahjalal Islami Bank, Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, Social Islami Bank Ltd, Dhaka Bank Ltd, City Bank Ltd, Marcentile Bank Ltd, and Bank Asia Ltd.
The information was disclosed at a meeting of Bangladesh Bank (BB) with the leaders of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier on February 10, BB allowed all scheduled banks to create a special fund of Tk 200 crore each to invest in the share market to restore the country's ailing capital market.
The banks may form the special funds with own resources or with funds received from the central bank through treasury bills and bonds. These will get a five-year tenure to repay the money.
Sirazul Islam, spokesman of the central bank, said 11 banks, so far, created special funds for share market investment, and they asked the rest banks to do so soon.
Sirazul, also executive director of BB, said there is no liquidity crisis in the banks, and these have now liquidity of around Tk 1 lakh 6 thousand crore. So, they can invest easily, he added.
After the meeting, BMBA chief Saidur Rahman told reporters that Bangladesh Bank is positive in development of capital market, and is communicating with banks for investment in so that the market can turn around.
Asked about massive fall in share market, the BMBA leader expressed his hope about normalcy in the market very soon.