A tiny fraction of account holders and just two districts -- Dhaka and Chattogram -- dominate banking deposits and loans, exposing deep inequalities in access to financial services in Bangladesh, according to a new study by the Policy Research Institute (PRI).

This indicates a sharp concentration of wealth among a small portion of the population

The development comes after Bangladesh Bank relaxed the rules and allowed banks to receive funds from OBUs amounting to 40 percent of their regulatory capital to settle payment obligations.

Deposits in 3,362 more bank accounts went past Tk 1 crore in the April-June period of 2023. 

Dhaka division’s 4.19 crore people in 13 districts have stored in banks a total of Tk 9.79 lakh crore, around 85 per cent of which, or Tk 8.32 lakh crore, belong to the people living inside Dhaka district alone.