Many customers are struggling to withdraw their savings from banks plagued by weak liquidity and irregularities. But overall statistics show that the flow of deposits in the banking sector is increasing.

Recent statistics from Bangladesh Bank say that deposits increased by 9.98% year-on-year at the end of September 2025—the second-highest growth in the last 18 months.

The growth was even higher in August, the month before that, at 10.02%, which is the highest in 17 months.

Before this rise began in August, deposit growth had been below 9% for 13 consecutive months. The last time the rate exceeded 9% was in June 2024, when it was 9.25%.

According to the central bank, total deposits in the banking sector stood at Tk1,914,000 crore at the end of September 2025—significantly higher than Tk1,741,000 crore in the same period in 2024.

According to experts, the September figures are a clear indication of the restoration of confidence in the banking sector. They claim that following a protracted 16-month slowdown, this is the most notable recovery to date.

Bangladesh Bank statistics indicate that in just one year, the number of depositors with more than Tk50 crore has decreased from 72 to 26, and accounts with Tk2.5 crore to Tk50 crore have halved to 78. Such a decline has rarely been seen in the banking history of Bangladesh.

Amidst changes such as political changes, exposure of irregularities, and weak bank mergers, wealthy customers are leaving banks and turning to real estate, gold, and foreign-oriented investments.

On the contrary, small and medium deposits are increasing rapidly, which is sending a new message of risk in the banking sector on the one hand and the spread of a savings culture on the other.

What does this trend indicate?

People in the banking sector say that one thing is clear: the rich are moving away from banks, and the common man has now become the real hope of the banking sector.

The government has recently issued the ‘Deposit Protection Ordinance, 2025’ to increase the protection and confidence of ordinary depositors in the banking sector. As a result of this new law, depositors will be guaranteed an immediate refund of up to a maximum of Tk2 lakh if a bank or financial institution goes bankrupt or ceases operations.

The directive issued by the Deposit Insurance Department (DID) of Bangladesh Bank on Sunday (November 23) said that a new framework has been formulated to strengthen and speed up the deposit protection program.

According to the ordinance, as soon as a bank is declared closed, the DID authorities will verify the information of the specific bank and quickly hand over the money due within Tk2 lakh to the depositor.

Why are millionaires moving?

After the interim government took office on August 8, 2024, a silent panic suddenly spread in the sector. Many big businessmen and politically close entrepreneurs—who had huge amounts of money in the bank—started moving away from banking channels. Economists have mentioned four reasons for this.

• Many beneficiaries known to the previous government found themselves in a politically vulnerable position. Keeping these possibilities in mind, investigations, interrogations, and corruption investigations—they started making bank accounts disappear.
• Many banks were in default for years. The new government started the merger process of these banks. The rich have understood that keeping large amounts in weak banks means big risks.
• A large portion of the money withdrawn from the bank has gone to real estate investment, buying gold, business or property abroad, and hundi and informal outflows, since the risk is low in these sectors and financial secrecy is high.
• The super-rich wait until they get a visible signal. They do not want to deposit large sums in the bank until the new government’s political stability, policy direction, and economic plan are clear.

A senior official of Bangladesh Bank said that large wealth holders always make decisions based on the political environment. It is very natural for their money to move to another place quickly when the environment changes.

Pressure on liquidity

Large deposits are like “oxygen cylinders” for banks. A single large deposit is often able to handle a bank's liquidity crisis. Therefore, the decline in these deposits means:

• Banks with large deposits have a strong liquidity position. Now, many banks are forced to collect deposits at high interest rates.
• If large deposits decrease, banks have to rely on medium and small deposits. This makes banks reluctant to provide long-term project loans.
• When the rich move away, doubts also arise among the common people—are banks safe?
• If large deposits decrease in banks, their survival becomes questionable.

Former DG of BIBM Towfiq Ahmed Chowdhury told Bangla Tribune: “When large deposits move away from a bank, it is not just a loss of money—it is a loss of trust. And if trust is lost, it is very difficult for a bank to recover.”

Bangladesh Bank statistics show that accounts of Tk0-2 lakh were 132.8 million in June last year but 147.6 million now.

Similarly, accounts of Tk2-Tk25 lakh were 8.88 million last year but 10.2 million in June this year. Accounts of Tk25-Tk50 lakh were 364,000 in June last year but 409,000 this year, while accounts with Tk50 lakh-Tk1 crore were 159,000 in June 2024, but this June it was 172,000.

According to bank accounts, the number of millionaire depositors has increased by 8,552 in the last year.

Of these, 2,555 have become individual millionaires. But as the big millionaires (500 million+) have moved away, a new contrast has emerged within the millionaire class itself—the number of medium millionaires is increasing, the number of ultra-rich millionaires is decreasing, and the number of really rich people in hiding is still unknown.