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Private expatriate bank soon

Sajjadur Rahman
The central bank has started work on setting up an expatriate bank in the private sector to foster manpower exports and provide services to non-resident Bangladeshis.
The proposed bank will be established with full expatriate equity and management, officials said.
“We'll invite tenders to seek bids for the bank in a couple of months," Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman told The Daily Star.
The bank will be a fully commercial scheduled bank, he said.
On establishment of the bank, Bangladesh will have two expatriate banks.
The government is now working to set up a specialised expatriate welfare bank under its management. A draft act has also been formulated in this regard. The bank will start operations in a few months, central bank officials said.
Bangladesh's dependence on remittance is increasing. It helps the country maintain a handsome foreign exchange reserve and a positive balance of payments account.
The country received $9.7 billion in remittance in fiscal 2008-09 and the figure reached nearly $9.2 billion during the first 10 months of the outgoing fiscal year. Bangladesh's annual remittance income was below $2 billion a decade ago.
Despite global recession, some 475,000 Bangladeshis went abroad for work in2009. Manpower export to the main markets, such as Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Kuwait, declined in 2009 than last year. However, the government and private sector entrepreneurs have been working to find new markets for manpower exports.
The government set a target to export 577,000 workers in fiscal 2010-11, expecting new markets, such as Libya, Lebanon,
Sudan and Algeria, to employ more people from Bangladesh.
New Zealand and Canada are two other major markets with potential, according to government projection.
The government also formed a fund worth Tk 70 crore to develop skills of the people who intend to go abroad for work. New technical institutes will also be set up at different districts.
Senior BB officials said the two expatriate banks would provide exclusive services, including low-cost loans, for the overseas job seekers. New products, including pension schemes, would be developed for the expatriates, they said.
They said remittance would increase significantly after these two banks are established.
sajjad@thedailystar.net