BB asks banks to be more vigilant to check terror financing

Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday asked the scheduled banks to comply with the anti-money laundering rules and regulations properly to tackle terror financing.
The central bank’s directive came from a special meeting with the managing directors and chief executive officers of 28 scheduled banks at the BB headquarters in the capital, Dhaka.
BB deputy governor Abu Hena Mohd Razee Hassan chaired the meeting where senior officials of the central bank were also present.
The BB will arrange such meeting with the rest 28 scheduled banks today.
A top official of a commercial bank, who attended the meeting, told New Age on Tuesday that the central bank asked the banks to give more attention to tackling terrorist financing as the country had recently faced two major terrorist attacks — one at Gulshan in Dhaka and another at Sholakia in Kishoreganj.
The BB asked to set up anti-money laundering departments at all banks as some of them are yet to introduce the department.
The central bank asked the banks not to burden the deputy chief anti-money laundering compliance officer at their branches with other work.
The BB asked the banks to strengthen their human resource policies so that the persons who are involved in militant activities will not get job in their banks.
The banks have been asked to inform the central bank within the shortest possible time if they find any suspicious transaction in the banking channel, the senior banker said.
He said the BB asked the banks to hold awareness programmes for their (banks) officials so that terrorist organisations could not use the banking channel to transact their money under any circumstances.
The BB asked the banks to follow the ‘know your client’ (KYC) related regulations accurately in opening new accounts and operating the existing accounts, he said.
A BB official said that the central bank expressed its concern that terrorist organisations might use the banking channel to transact their financing.
The BB also asked the banks to follow Money Laundering Prevention (Amendment) Act 2015, he said.
He said that the central bank had already found some suspicious transactions at different banks and it (BB) was now verifying whether the funds were used in terrorist activities.
Twenty-eight people including 17 foreigners were killed as terrorists attacked Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in the city’s Gulshan diplomatic zone on July 1.
In another attack at Sholakia in Kishoreganj on July 7, four people including two policemen were killed.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net