Written by The Banking Post
July 17, 2025
Bangladesh Bank has recognised eight private commercial banks and two non-bank financial institutions as top performers in sustainable finance for 2024, highlighting their strong commitment to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and sound governance practices.
The recognition was announced in the central bank’s latest Sustainable Finance Report, which evaluates financial institutions based on comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria.
The banks named in this year’s list include:
- BRAC Bank
- City Bank
- Dutch-Bangla Bank
- Eastern Bank
- Jamuna Bank
- Mutual Trust Bank
- NCC Bank
- Prime Bank
- Pubali Bank
- Shahjalal Islami Bank
Among them, BRAC Bank, City Bank, Eastern Bank, Jamuna Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, and Prime Bank successfully retained their spots from the previous year’s list, reflecting consistent performance in sustainable finance initiatives.
Notably, Exim Bank, Trust Bank, United Commercial Bank (UCB), and Uttara Bank, which were featured last year, did not make it to the 2024 list.
In the non-bank financial sector, IDLC Finance and IPDC Finance were once again recognised for the second consecutive year, affirming their continued leadership in promoting sustainability-focused lending and operations.
Comprehensive Evaluation Criteria
Bangladesh Bank’s evaluation framework includes five major performance indicators:
- Sustainable Finance Index
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities
- Green project financing
- Core Banking Sustainability Index
- Banking Services Coverage
The Core Banking Sustainability and Banking Services Coverage indices carry the most weight—together accounting for about 60% of the total score.
Additional criteria considered in the assessment include:
- Net non-performing loan (NPL) ratio
- Tier-1 capital ratio
- Risk-weighted assets
- Provision maintenance
- Disbursement to CMSME sectors
- Large loan exposures
- Branch and agent banking network
- Number of active accounts
Bangladesh Bank introduced its Sustainability Rating System in 2020 to promote responsible banking practices and align the financial sector with the country’s long-term environmental and social development goals.
