Prof Maksudur Rahman Sarker Elected Chairman of SBAC Bank

🏛 Prof Md Maksudur Rahman Sarker, an independent director of SBAC Bank PLC and chairman of the Department of Accounting at the University of Dhaka, has been elected chairman of SBAC Bank PLC. The election was held at the 215th meeting of the bank's board of directors on Wednesday, according to a press release issued by the lender.

📊 Prof Maksudur Rahman is an academic, researcher and renowned accountant with expertise in the financial sector. His book, "Credit Management of Commercial Banks: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Sector Banks", has gained significant popularity among readers and is widely referenced in banking circles as a foundational text on credit risk assessment in the South Asian context.

📜 Academic And Professional Credentials

The new chairman brings a rare combination of academic depth and professional certification to the role. He completed his bachelor's degree in commerce and master's degree in accounting at the University of Dhaka, before pursuing an MBA in finance from the University of New Brunswick, Canada — a credential that exposed him to North American banking standards and corporate governance frameworks at a time when Bangladeshi banks are under pressure to align with international best practices.

He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I, awarded by the Association for Investment Management and Research, US, and holds a professional CMA (Cost and Management Accountant) degree from the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB). The blend of CFA and CMA credentials — combined with his accounting professorship — positions him among the most academically credentialed bank chairmen in Bangladesh's private banking sector.

• 🎓 Education: B.Com, M.Com (Dhaka University); MBA Finance (University of New Brunswick, Canada)
• 💰 CFA Level I — Association for Investment Management and Research, US
• 📜 CMA — Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB)
• 📚 Author: "Credit Management of Commercial Banks: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Sector Banks"
• 🏛 Position: Chairman of Department of Accounting, University of Dhaka
• 👥 Role: Independent Director (prior to chairmanship)

💵 What His Appointment Means For SBAC Bank

SBAC Bank PLC, a relatively young private commercial bank incorporated in 2013, has been building its presence in trade finance, SME lending and corporate banking. The election of an independent director with deep accounting and credit management expertise to the chairmanship signals the board's emphasis on governance, risk controls and credit quality at a time when the broader banking sector is reeling from record-high non-performing loans (NPLs).

Prof Maksudur's research focus on credit management is particularly relevant. Bangladesh's banking sector reported NPLs exceeding Tk 6 lakh crore at the end of June 2026, with a significant portion of the bad debt concentrated in loans that were improperly underwritten or extended to related parties under the previous regime. His comparative study of public versus private sector credit management practices provides an evidence base for the kind of structural reforms SBAC Bank will need to embed as it scales its loan book.

⚠ Sector-Wide Reform Backdrop

The appointment comes as Bangladesh Bank pushes sector-wide governance reforms following the political transition in August 2024. The central bank has been strengthening loan recovery mechanisms, tightening credit management supervision and identifying weak banks for reform, merger or restructuring. Independent directors with credible academic and professional credentials are being positioned in chairmanship roles across multiple private banks to restore depositor confidence and ensure that credit decisions are made on commercial rather than political considerations.

For SBAC Bank, the challenge will be balancing growth ambitions with the prudential controls that the new chairman's expertise implies. The bank has been expanding its branch network and digital banking capabilities, but like all mid-sized private lenders, it faces pressure on net interest margins as the banking system sits on Tk 4 lakh crore in excess liquidity with weak private credit demand. The new chairman's experience in credit risk assessment will be crucial in ensuring that the bank deploys its capital into productive lending rather than chasing volumes at the cost of asset quality.

🌏 Broader Implications For Bangladesh's Banking Sector

Prof Maksudur's elevation to the chairmanship also reflects a broader trend in Bangladesh's banking sector: the rise of independent directors with strong academic and professional credentials as a counterweight to sponsor-director influence. The 2024 amendment to the Bank Company Act restricts the ability of former bank owners to return to merged banks, and Bangladesh Bank has been pushing boards to elevate independent directors to leadership positions to strengthen governance.

For an economy preparing to graduate from LDC status in November 2026, banking sector health is a strategic prerequisite. With export-oriented sectors dependent on trade finance, remittance channels relying on correspondent banking relationships, and infrastructure investment requiring project finance, the quality of bank governance directly affects Bangladesh's macroeconomic stability. The election of an accounting professor and CFA charter-holder to lead SBAC Bank's board is a small but meaningful step toward rebuilding the institutional credibility that Bangladesh's banking sector needs to support the next phase of export-led growth.

The bank's depositors, regulators and the broader business community will be watching closely as Prof Maksudur takes the helm — particularly his approach to credit governance, board oversight of related-party transactions, and the strategic direction he charts for SBAC Bank in a sector undergoing structural reset.