Agrani Bank emerged as a Nationalized Commercial Bank following the Bangladesh Banks (Nationalization) Order 1972 vide President’s Order No. 26 of 1972 under which former Habib Bank Limited and Commerce Bank Limited and renamed as Agrani Bank. The Bank was incorporated as a State-owned Commercial Bank on 17 May 2007 under the Companies Act 1994. On a going concern basis, Agrani Bank Limited took over the business, assets, liabilities, rights and obligations of Agrani Bank through a vendor’s agreement signed on 15 November 2007 between the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Board of Directors of ABL with retrospective effect from 01 July, 2007.
Agrani Bank Limited is governed by the Board of Directors consisting of chairman, 5 Directors and MD & CEO at present. The Bank is headed by the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer; Managing Director is assisted by Deputy Managing Directors and General Managers. The bank has 11 Circle offices, 53 zonal offices and 37 Divisions in head office. ABL has been able to create 970 branches including 36 corporate , 43 AD (authorized dealer) branches widely distributed and is a technology pioneer, with all branches providing real time online banking. We also have five subsidiaries: a merchant bank, a small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) financing company and remittance house in Singapore, Malaysia and Canada.
Soon after independence of the country Sonali Bank emerged as the largest and leading Nationalized Commercial Bank by proclamation of the Banks' Nationalization Order 1972 (Presidential Order-26) liquidating the then National Bank of Pakistan, Premier Bank and Bank of Bhwalpur. As a fully state owned institution, the bank had been discharging its nation-building responsibilities by undertaking government entrusted different socio-economic schemes as well as money market activities of its own volition, covering all spheres of the economy.
The bank has been converted to a Public Limited Company with 100% ownership of the government and started functioning as Sonali Bank Limited from November 15, 2007 taking over all assets, liabilities and business of Sonali Bank. After corporatization, the management of the bank has been given required autonomy to make the bank competitive & to run its business effectively.
Sonali Bank Limited is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 11 (Eleven) members. The Bank is headed by the CEO & Managing Director, who is a well-known Banker and a reputed professional. The corporate head quarter of the bank is located at Motijheel, Dhaka, Bangladesh, the main commercial center of the capital.