Regulatory Alerts2026-07-26
Added
Guidelines for Establishment, Relocation, Rent/Lease and Contract Renewal of Bank Business Centers, 2026
Bangladesh Bank has issued comprehensive guidelines for all scheduled banks operating in Bangladesh, superseding BRPD Circular No. 02 of January 19, 2023. These new directives, effective immediately under Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991 (as amended up to 2023), mandate prior approval from Bangladesh Bank for establishing or relocating any bank business center, with specific exceptions for electronic booths, temporary booths (less than one month), and airport lounges. Banks must adhere to a 50% rural branch ratio for new establishments and avoid establishing more than one urban branch in the same city per year. The guidelines also detail conditions for SME/Agricultural branches, sub-branches, and various types of booths, including restrictions on financial transactions for certain center types and requirements for board approval and documentation for all applications.
Bangladesh Bank Head Office Motijheel, Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh website: www.bb.org.bd Banking Regulation and Policy Department-1 26 July 2026 BRPD-1 Circular No. 14 Date: ------------------ 11 Srabon 1433 Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer All Scheduled Banks Operating in Bangladesh Dear Sir, Subject: Issuance of Guidelines for Establishment, Relocation, Rent/Lease and Contract Renewal of Bank Business Centers, 2026. Your attention is drawn to BRPD Circular No. 02, dated 19/01/2023, on the above subject. 2| Through the aforementioned circular, directives were provided regarding the establishment of bank business centers and rent/lease. In view of the proliferation of bank business centers, their relocation from one place to another, and the various complexities arising from related activities, the necessity for issuing a consolidated, objective, and comprehensive directive has arisen. In this context, the 'Guidelines for Establishment, Relocation, Rent/Lease and Contract Renewal of Bank Business Centers, 2026' has been issued, prepared through necessary amendments, refinements, and expansions of the directives provided in BRPD Circular No. 02/2023. 3| All directives of BRPD Circular No. 02, issued on 19 January 2023, shall be superseded by the directives of the Guidelines issued through this circular, and the former circular shall be considered null and void. Henceforth, in all activities related to the establishment, relocation, execution of rent agreements, and renewal of bank business centers, the directives of the 'Guidelines for Establishment, Relocation, Rent/Lease and Contract Renewal of Bank Business Centers, 2026' shall be mandatory for