The Premier Bank (PREMIERBAN) financial analysis: 31% NPL, Tk9,799 crore provision shortfall, CRAR 5.70% (Oct 2026)

Investment considerations: a large trade-finance franchise under a regulator-formed board, with a 31% NPL ratio, a Tk9,799 crore provision gap and CRAR of 5.70%

The Premier Bank PLC is a third-generation private commercial bank incorporated on 10 June 1999 and listed on the Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges after a 2007 public offering [2 p.1]. It runs 136 branches, 67 sub-branches, 214 agent outlets and two offshore banking units, with an Islamic banking unit of two branches and one subsidiary, Premier Bank Securities Limited [1 p.94] [2 p.1]. At 31 December 2025 its standalone balance sheet was BDT 423.6bn, with loans of BDT 335.0bn, deposits of BDT 329.4bn and shareholders' equity of BDT 17.1bn [1 p.92] [1 p.93].

Up to 2023 the filings show a steady trade-finance bank: imports of BDT 307.9bn and exports of BDT 253.9bn that year, a non-performing loan (NPL) ratio below 5%, ROE of 15-17% and a cash dividend of 12.5% every year from 2021 to 2023 [1 p.93] [1 p.94]. In 2024 and 2025 that changed. Non-performing loans rose to BDT 75.5bn (22.92%) in 2024 and BDT 103.9bn (31.01%) in 2025, net interest income turned negative, and the bank lost BDT 9.79bn in 2025 [1 p.92] [1 p.93]. The auditor gives a total shortfall of Tk9,799.26 crore (BDT 98.0bn), which a Bangladesh Bank (BB) letter allowed the bank not to adjust [1 p.209]. BB dissolved the board on 19 August 2025 [9].

Business: a trade-finance bank whose larger-ticket loan book turned bad in 2024-2025

Premier Bank makes money the way most Bangladeshi private banks do: it lends to businesses, funds them with term deposits, and earns fees and exchange income on letters of credit, guarantees and remittances. Trade is the core. The bank opened BDT 342.8bn of import business and BDT 278.3bn of export business in 2025, and guarantees reached BDT 61.6bn [1 p.93]. Off-balance-sheet commitments were BDT 271.9bn at end-2025, 64% of the size of the balance sheet [1 p.93].

Lending is concentrated. Large-loan exposure (funded and non-funded) was BDT 191.4bn at end-2025, 57.1% of the loan book, up from 32.4% in 2021 [1 p.93] [13]. The number of loan accounts fell from 32,925 in 2021 to 28,350 in 2025 while the loan book grew from BDT 249.8bn to BDT 335.0bn, so the average loan got larger [1 p.93] [1 p.94]. The 2024-2025 collapse in asset quality came from this larger-ticket book; the filings we read do not name the borrowers.

The segment note shows where the 2025 loss arose. The conventional bank had net interest income of BDT -5.09bn and an operating loss before provisions of BDT -7.89bn; the Islamic branches lost BDT 1.35bn before provisions on BDT 837.7m of investment income against BDT 2.21bn of profit paid; only the offshore banking unit made money (BDT 480.4m) [1 p.286]. The brokerage subsidiary lost BDT 140.5m after tax [1 p.286].

Line items: interest income fell 16% as NPLs stopped paying, interest paid rose 27%, and exchange income nearly vanished

Interest income fell 16.4% in 2025, to BDT 23.80bn from BDT 28.46bn, although loans grew 1.7% [1 p.92] [13]. Interest from customers fell from BDT 27.39bn to BDT 22.32bn [1 p.272]. The bank's policy is that interest on classified loans is charged but not taken into income [1 p.239], so when non-performing loans rose from 22.9% to 31.0% of the book, a larger part of the book stopped producing income. Interest income on average loans fell from 9.20% to 7.16% (derived) [13].

Interest paid rose 27.0%, to BDT 29.81bn [1 p.92]. Interest on deposits rose 19.2% to BDT 25.96bn even though deposits fell, because the year-end weighted average deposit rate rose from 7.16% to 7.74% [1 p.272] [1 p.94] [13]. Interest on repo rose 7.0 times, from BDT 295.0m to BDT 2,052.3m [1 p.272]. Government securities on the balance sheet fell from BDT 42.2bn to BDT 2.5bn over the year [1 p.92]; the filings we read do not explain the fall.

Net interest income was BDT -6.01bn in 2025, against BDT 4.99bn in 2024, and the bank labels it 'Net Interest Income (excluding investment income)' [1 p.92]. Investment income (BDT 3.41bn) and fees (BDT 3.83bn) left total operating income at only BDT 1.24bn [1 p.92] [13].

Fee and other income halved. Fees, commission and other operating income fell from BDT 7.52bn to BDT 3.83bn [1 p.92]. Gains on foreign-currency dealing fell 92%, from BDT 2.66bn to BDT 216.7m; dividend income fell from BDT 637.8m to BDT 87.2m; and other operating income from BDT 2.54bn to BDT 1.67bn [1 p.272] [13]. Trade volumes did not fall by anywhere near as much (imports -2.6%, exports flat), so the loss of exchange income came from margins or positions, not volume [1 p.93].

Operating expenses rose 20.7% to BDT 10.00bn [1 p.92] [13]. The rise is in 'Other operating expenses', up from BDT 1.21bn to BDT 2.73bn, and within them 'Sundry expenses' up from BDT 574.4m to BDT 2,156.0m [1 p.276]. The note does not break down the sundry line. Salary and allowances were BDT 3.87bn [1 p.286]. With income so low, cost-to-income was 808% [1 p.94] [13].

Provisions fell from BDT 6.33bn to BDT 1.00bn [1 p.276]. This is not an improvement: the BB letter allowed the bank to finalise its accounts without adjusting the shortfall [1 p.209]. In 2024 provisions took 81% of operating profit; in 2025 there was no operating profit to take them from [13].

Tax was BDT 21.3m in 2025 on a pre-tax loss of BDT 9.76bn [1 p.92]. The bank carried a deferred tax asset of BDT 4.88bn at end-2025 [1 p.255]; in H1 2026 it booked a deferred tax expense of BDT 755.2m, which added to the loss [2 p.1].

Margin: a 15% CASA share, a 7.37% cost of deposits and borrowings, and NII of minus 1.4% of assets

The bank prints two funding-cost measures. 'Cost of Deposit & Borrowing' rose from 4.85% in 2023 to 6.53% in 2024 and 7.37% in 2025; 'Cost of Fund with administrative cost' rose from 7.68% to 9.13% and 11.65% [1 p.94]. Our derived measure, interest paid over average deposits, borrowings and the perpetual bond, gives 6.37% for 2024 and 8.11% for 2025 [13].

The year-end loan rate the bank printed fell from 12.72% to 12.19% while the deposit rate rose from 7.16% to 7.74%, so the printed spread narrowed from 5.56pp to 4.45pp [1 p.94] [13]. That printed spread is on contractual rates; the effective spread is far lower because 31% of loans do not pay. Net interest income over average total assets was 1.16% in 2024 and -1.38% in 2025 [13]. The bank prints 'Net Interest Income as a percentage of Total Assets' of 1.11% and -1.42% [1 p.94].

The deposit mix explains part of the cost. Current accounts plus savings were only 14.6% of deposits at end-2025, down from 15.4%, as current accounts fell 23.6% to BDT 18.7bn [1 p.260] [13]. Fixed deposits (BDT 144.4bn) and deposit schemes such as the double-benefit scheme (BDT 32.9bn) make up 63.7% of deposits [1 p.260] [13]. Three-month fixed deposits alone were BDT 82.4bn [1 p.260], so the cost of most deposits resets within a quarter.

For a like-for-like peer view we compare the same label. NCC Bank prints 'Cost of deposits & borrowings (%)' of 6.21% for 2024 and 6.57% for 2025 [6 p.184]; Premier's 'Cost of Deposit & Borrowing' was 0.32pp higher in 2024 and 0.80pp higher in 2025 [13]. Midland prints only a 'Cost of Fund' (8.27% for 2025) [7 p.348], which we do not compare with Premier's figures because the definitions are not stated to match.

Asset quality: NPLs of BDT 103.9bn (31.01%), 15% provision coverage, and Tk9,799.26 crore not booked under a BB letter

Non-performing loans were BDT 6.8bn (2.73%) in 2021, BDT 7.7bn (2.90%) in 2022 and BDT 14.5bn (4.99%) in 2023. They rose to BDT 75.5bn (22.92%) in 2024 and BDT 103.9bn (31.01%) in 2025 [1 p.93]. The 2024 jump coincides with BB's tighter 90-day classification rule; the auditor's key audit matter cites BRPD circular no. 15 of 27 November 2024 for the timing of loss events [1 p.209].

Provisions did not keep up. Specific provisions rose only from BDT 6.5bn in 2023 to BDT 12.0bn in 2025, and general provisions stayed at BDT 4.0bn, so total provisions covered 15.3% of NPLs against 125% in 2021 [1 p.93] [13]. In 2025 the bank wrote off BDT 278.1m of fully provided debts and recovered BDT 44.6m of earlier write-offs [1 p.262].

The auditor's report sets out the gap, and we quote it exactly. Emphasis of matter 1: "As on 31 December 2025, the bank loans & advances were shown is Tk. 33,500.83 crore, which include classified loans and advances amounting to Tk. 10,389.39 crore. Against the said classified loans & advances required provision is Tk. 7,286.13 crore, whereas the bank has kept a provision of 1,196.57 crore only. Thus, an amount of Tk. 6,089.56 crore remained short in the provision for the said classified loans & advances." [1 p.208]

Emphasis of matter 2 gives a further Tk2,286.86 crore short on unclassified loans of Tk23,111.44 crore, and emphasis of matter 3 gives Tk1,220.67 crore short on other assets [1 p.208]. Items 4 to 7 add the unrecognised impairment of the brokerage subsidiary (cumulative loss Tk38.00 crore) and shortfalls on gratuity (Tk18.52 crore), off-balance-sheet items (Tk94.52 crore) and share investments (Tk10.88 crore) [1 p.208]. Item 8 says: "However, Bangladesh Bank Vide Letter # BSD-9/118/2026-484 Dated 27/04/2026 has allowed the bank to finalize its financial statement for the year ended 31 December 2025 without adjusting the total shortfall amount of 9,799.26 crore as stated above." [1 p.209]

The bank's own note 16.1 states the loan-provision shortfall at Tk8,454.67 crore [1 p.262]. The items the auditor lists add to less than Tk9,799.26 crore by our sum; the report does not reconcile the difference, so we use the auditor's total as printed. Against classified loans alone, provisions kept were 11.5% of the loans and 16.4% of the requirement [13].

Capital: CRAR 5.70% with the forbearance and -13.45% without it, according to the auditor

CRAR was 13.97% in 2021, 14.18% in 2022 and 13.58% in 2023, then fell to 10.54% in 2024 and 5.70% in 2025 [1 p.93]. Common equity Tier-1 fell to BDT 12.1bn, or 2.88% of risk-weighted assets, and the leverage ratio to 2.72% [1 p.93]. Risk-weighted assets rose 22.9% to BDT 419.3bn while loans grew only 1.7% [1 p.93] [13].

Note 17.6 states the minimum capital requirement at Tk4,192.57 crore solo against available capital of Tk2,390.31 crore [1 p.267], a gap of BDT 18,023m; measured against 12.5% of RWA the gap is BDT 28,504m [13]. The auditor goes further: "in considering shortfall of Tk. 9,799.26 crore (required provision), the capital shortfall would have been 9,330.21 crore" and "CRAR would have been -13.45% on solo basis" [1 p.209]. The same paragraph states required capital of Tk4,495.07 crore and recorded capital of Tk-4,835.14 crore, which differ from note 17.6; we report both as printed.

Bonds carry a large part of what capital is left. The perpetual bond (BDT 2.0bn, Additional Tier-1, coupon at the 20-year Treasury bond rate) and subordinated debt counted in Tier-2 (BDT 3.80bn) make up 24.3% of total regulatory capital [1 p.238] [1 p.158] [13]. Two subordinated bonds were outstanding at end-2025: Bond-4 (approved 2019, seven-year term, Tk310.00 crore outstanding after Tk85.00 crore redeemed) and Bond-5 (approved 2022, seven-year term, Tk390.60 crore outstanding) [1 p.238]. Subordinated debt counted in capital fell from BDT 5.70bn to BDT 3.80bn in 2025 as the bonds amortise for capital purposes [1 p.268], and the bank repaid BDT 475m of bonds in H1 2026, leaving BDT 6.53bn on the consolidated balance sheet [2 p.1].

The auditor's report says CRAR, CRR and SLR "as required by Bangladesh Bank has been maintained during the period based on provisions allowed by Bangladesh Bank against the requirement" under the same letter [1 p.214]. The bank's own highlights show SLR for the conventional book at 3.89% at end-2025 against 13.89% a year earlier, and CRR at 5.96% [1 p.93].

Audit: unmodified with eight emphasis-of-matter items in FY2025, and a qualified opinion at the brokerage subsidiary

FY2025. Pinaki & Company issued an unmodified opinion on 30 April 2026 with eight numbered emphasis-of-matter items, quoted in the asset-quality section, and a closing line: "Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter" [1 p.208] [1 p.209] [1 p.214]. Under other legal and regulatory requirements, the auditor states that provisions were made "as per Bangladesh Bank Vide letter no. BSD-9/118/2026-484 Dated: 27 April 2026" [1 p.214]. DSE published the auditor's emphasis of matter on 20-May-2026 [9].

The subsidiary's audit is qualified. The auditor reports that Premier Bank Securities Limited paid "Tk. 37 Crore at 21.01.2025 as advance and Tk. 3.85 Crore as rent and Tk. 24.70 Lac unsupported utility expense to Premier Hotel & Resort Limited. There was no business at the premise but it incurred a huge expense", and that it was short of provisions on margin loans and its own portfolio by Tk8.46 crore in total [1 p.214].

FY2024. The FY2024 opinion said the statements were prepared based on BB letters DBI-3/118/2025-699 of 28 April 2025 and DOS(CAMS)1157/41(Dividend)/2025-3107 of 21 May 2025, "subject to discloser made in Notes 16.1 and 16.6" [4 p.266]. Its emphasis of matter said: "there exists a significant shortfall in required provisions as per Bangladesh Bank directives and thus dividend is not distributable. Had full provisioning been made in accordance with the regulatory requirements, it would have had a material impact on the Bank's profit and other key financial indicators", and closed: "Our opinion is not modified in respect of the matter" [4 p.267]. That opinion did not give the amount.

The FY2024 accounts were late. The board meeting to adopt them was set for 29-Apr-2025 and postponed several times; on 1-Jun-2025 the bank asked DSE to disregard an announced 'no dividend' decision, and the accounts were finally adopted on 27-Aug-2025 with an AGM on 13-Oct-2025 [9].

Funding and peers: deposits down 5.2% in 2025 and 9.3% in H1 2026, borrowings up to BDT 61bn, and an NPL ratio 27pp above NCC's

Deposits grew about 7-10% a year from 2021 to 2024, then fell 5.2% in 2025 to BDT 329.4bn [1 p.92] [13]. In H1 2026 consolidated deposits fell a further 9.3% to BDT 298.8bn: fixed deposits fell from BDT 145.4bn to BDT 128.7bn and current and other accounts from BDT 144.8bn to BDT 132.6bn [2 p.1] [13]. At the same time borrowings from banks, financial institutions and agents rose from BDT 16.9bn to BDT 61.3bn, 20.5% of deposits [2 p.1] [13]. The half-year notes attribute the positive operating cash flow to "increase of borrowings from other banks and agents" [2 p.1]; they do not name the lenders.

The bank's 'Credit to Deposit Ratio (As per Bangladesh Bank)' was 93.37% at end-2025 [1 p.94]; consolidated loans over deposits reached 113.0% at Jun-2026 [13]. Returns followed asset quality: ROE was 17.2% in 2022 and 16.7% in 2023, 5.3% in 2024 and -44.3% in 2025 [13].

Peers, from their own filings and on the same labels. NCC Bank's 'Non performing loans as % of total loans' was 4.12% and its CRAR 15.54% for 2025 [6 p.183]; Midland Bank's 'Classified Loans as % of Total Loans and Advances' was 3.08% and its solo CRAR 15.92% [7 p.348] [7 p.166]. SBAC Bank, itself operating under a BB deferral of a Tk10,235.75m shortfall, had NPLs of BDT 18,814.9m on loans of BDT 94,458.1m (19.92%, derived) and a solo CRAR of 13.40% [8 p.72] [8 p.69] [8 p.332]. Premier's NPL ratio is 26.9pp above NCC's and 11.1pp above SBAC's; its CRAR is 9.8pp below NCC's; and its credit-deposit ratio is 18.5pp above NCC's 'Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR)' of 74.87% [6 p.184] [13].

Board and sponsors: BB dissolved the board on 19-Aug-2025 and formed one with five independent directors

On 9 September 2025 the bank told DSE that "in exercise of the powers conferred under Sections 47(1)(a) and 48(1) of the Bank Company Act, 1991 (as amended up to 2023), Bangladesh Bank, through Order dated August 19, 2025, has dissolved the existing Board of Directors of The Premier Bank PLC. with immediate effect", that BB had formed a new board by letter of the same date, and that Dr. Arifur Rahman was elected chairman at the 314th board meeting on 21 August 2025 [9]. The annual report gives the letter as BRPD(BMMA)651/9(27)DA/2025-9930 of 19 August 2025 and the new board as "6 (six) Directors including 5(five) Independent Directors" [1 p.130].

Before the dissolution the board was chaired by Mohammad Imran Iqbal, with Jamal G Ahmed as vice chairman and sponsor directors including Abdus Salam Murshedy, Shafiqur Rahman, Shah Mohammed Nahyan Haroon, Shaila Shelley Khan and Yeh Cheng Min [1 p.145]. The new board held 22 meetings between 19 August and 31 December 2025 [1 p.145]. Md. Forkan Hossain, a former BB executive director, chairs the audit committee [1 p.25]. On 17-Feb-2026 the bank told DSE that Additional Managing Director Md. Monzur Mofiz continues as Managing Director (Current Charge) under a board decision of 10-Dec-2025 [9].

The shareholder-group table prints sponsors and directors at 294,988,380 shares (23.92%) at end-2025 against 431,346,352 shares (34.97%) at end-2024; the named current directors and sponsors held 294,988,380 shares at both dates, led by Shaila Shelley Khan (61.65m), Abdus Salam Murshedy (51.94m), Dr. H. B. M. Iqbal (47.47m) and the chairman Dr. Arifur Rahman (42.74m) [1 p.91]. The corporate-information page prints 431,346,352 sponsor/director shares, the end-2024 count, against the end-2025 share of 23.92% [1 p.18]. In June 2026 sponsor Nurul Amin received 15.0m shares from his spouse and 1.2m from his son as gifts [9].

Related parties. Annexure-G lists the entities in which the current directors have interests; the chairman's include Always On Network Bangladesh, Icon Aviation, The Shoes Bangladesh and Denim Polymer Industries [1 p.287]. We did not find a bank-level note on loans to directors in the pages we read (see Gaps). Separately, the auditor's report sets out the subsidiary's payments to Premier Hotel & Resort Limited (see the audit section) [1 p.214]; the report does not say whether Premier Hotel & Resort Limited is a related party.

Payout: no dividend for 2024 or 2025, 'Z' category, and paid-up capital 38.3% short of BB's Tk2,000 crore line

Premier paid 12.5% cash plus 10% stock for 2021, 12.5% cash plus 7.5% stock for 2022 and 12.5% cash for 2023, a cash payout of 40%, 36% and 36% of EPS [1 p.94] [13]. There was no dividend for 2024 (announced 28-Aug-2025) or 2025 (announced 3-May-2026), and DSE moved the share from 'A' to 'Z' on 3 May 2026 "as the company has failed to declare any dividend for a period of 2 (two) consecutive years" [9]. From the same day brokers were asked not to give margin loans for purchases of the share [9].

BB's SPCD Circular 06 of 23 May 2026 bars any cash dividend while a bank's paid-up capital is below Tk2,000 crore (para 3(ka)), caps cash at 50% of the total dividend for banks that may pay one (para 3(kha)), and applies from the year ending 31 December 2026 (para 4) [5 p.1]. Premier's paid-up capital is Tk1,233.43 crore [1 p.18], so it is 38.3% short of the line (1 - 1,233.43/2,000), or BDT 7,666m [13]. Under para 3(ka) no cash dividend is allowed while paid-up capital is below Tk2,000 crore; retained earnings were BDT -9.90bn at Jun-2026 [5 p.1] [2 p.1].

2026 so far: a BDT 3.89bn half-year loss, five loss quarters in a row, and NAV per share down to BDT 10.80

Losses continued in 2026. Q1 2026 consolidated EPS was BDT (0.87) and Q2 BDT (2.28), for a half-year loss of BDT (3.15) a share against BDT (1.11) in H1 2025 [9] [2 p.1]. In H1 2026 interest income fell to BDT 11.23bn while interest paid rose to BDT 14.39bn, so net interest income was BDT -3,159m; total operating income was BDT 1,064m against operating expenses of BDT 4,034m [2 p.1] [13]. No provision was charged in the half; a BDT 755.2m deferred tax expense took the after-tax loss to BDT 3.89bn [2 p.1].

We checked each quarter's sign on the DSE news page, because the events feed drops minus signs. DSE reported consolidated EPS of BDT 0.23 for Q1 2025, (1.33) for Q2 2025, (4.39) for Q3 2025 and (8.05) for the full year 2025, so Q4 2025 was about (2.56) by difference [9]. That makes five loss-making quarters in a row from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026. Solo NAV per share fell to BDT 10.80 at Jun-2026 from BDT 20.76 a year earlier [2 p.1].

The board met on 29 October 2026 to consider the Q3 2026 accounts [9]; the DSE news archive had not posted the figures when we checked on 1 November 2026, so this note does not include them. ARGUS Credit Rating Services cut the long-term rating to 'AA-' from 'AA' with a negative outlook on 2-Jul-2026 [9]. At BDT 5.4 the market value was about BDT 6.66bn, 0.50x the Jun-2026 solo NAV per share; at end-2025 the bank printed a price-to-NAV of 0.29x, against 0.41x at end-2024 and 0.60x at end-2023 [10] [1 p.94] [13].

What's next: the Q3 2026 figures, the first SPCD-06 year-end, the FY2026 forbearance decision and LDC graduation in 2029

Q3 2026 accounts (board meeting 29-Oct-2026). These will show whether the deposit outflow and borrowing build-up of H1 continued and whether NII stayed negative [9]. They move every line, mainly NII and funding.

First year under SPCD Circular 06 (year ending 31-Dec-2026). Para 4 applies the rule to the FY2026 dividend decision; with paid-up capital of Tk1,233.43 crore no cash dividend is allowed [5 p.1] [13]. This affects payout only.

FY2026 audited accounts (c. 30-Apr-2027, inferred from the FY2025 dates). The FY2025 accounts relied on a BB letter of 27-Apr-2026 and were signed on 30-Apr-2026 [1 p.209] [1 p.214]. The FY2026 accounts will show whether BB again allows the shortfall to stay off the books. This moves provisions, equity and CRAR.

LDC graduation (24-Nov-2029). The UN General Assembly adopted on 29 October 2026 in New York (30 October in Dhaka) a resolution moving Bangladesh's graduation from 24 November 2026 to 24 November 2029 [11] [12]. Trade-finance volumes, which drive Premier's fee and exchange income, are linked to exports that keep LDC trade preferences until then.

Risks: forbearance, deposit outflow, a negative spread, thin capital and concentration

Forbearance. The 2025 accounts depend on one BB letter [1 p.209]. If the shortfall had to be booked, the auditor's own figures put CRAR at -13.45%; this moves provisions, equity and capital.

Funding. Deposits fell in 2025 and in H1 2026 while borrowings rose to 20.5% of deposits [2 p.1] [13]. Borrowed funds and three-month deposits reprice quickly, which moves interest paid.

Negative spread. Interest paid has exceeded interest income since 2025 [1 p.92] [2 p.1]. In 2025 each 1pp of the 31% of loans that stopped paying corresponds, at the derived 7.16% yield, to about BDT 240m of annual interest income (history-based arithmetic) [13].

Capital and dilution. CET-1 of 2.88% leaves no buffer [1 p.93]. Any recapitalisation, merger or resolution would be decided by BB; the filings we read announce none.

Concentration. Large-loan exposure was 57.1% of loans [1 p.93] [13]; a few borrowers can move the NPL line.

Key questions: forbearance, deposits, borrowings, capital and the unexplained expense lines

FAQ

What is The Premier Bank's NPL ratio?

Non-performing loans were BDT 103,894m, 31.01% of loans, at 31-Dec-2025, up from 22.92% in 2024 and 4.99% in 2023 [1 p.93].

How large is Premier Bank's provision shortfall?

The auditor gives a total shortfall of Tk9,799.26 crore not adjusted in the 2025 accounts, allowed by BB letter BSD-9/118/2026-484 of 27-Apr-2026 [1 p.209].

What is Premier Bank's CRAR?

5.70% solo at Dec-2025 against 12.50%; the auditor says it would be -13.45% if the shortfall were booked [1 p.93] [1 p.209].

Did Premier Bank make a loss?

Yes. Solo loss after tax of BDT 9,785m in 2025 and a consolidated loss of BDT 3,888m in H1 2026 [1 p.92] [2 p.1].

Was the FY2025 audit opinion qualified?

No. It is unmodified with eight emphasis-of-matter items on the provision shortfalls and the BB letter [1 p.208] [1 p.209].

Who runs Premier Bank now?

A six-member board formed by BB on 19-Aug-2025 with five independent directors, chaired by Dr. Arifur Rahman [1 p.130] [9].

Can Premier Bank pay a cash dividend?

Not under SPCD Circular 06 while paid-up capital (Tk1,233.43 crore) is below Tk2,000 crore; it is 38.3% short [5 p.1] [13].

Which results does this note use?

Standalone five-year highlights and notes from the 2025 annual report, the Q1 and H1 2026 interim statements and DSE announcements. Q3 2026 figures were not yet posted on DSE on 1-Nov-2026.

Sources

1. The Premier Bank PLC Annual Report 2025 (year to 31-Dec-2025; auditor Pinaki & Company, signed 30-Apr-2026) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
2. The Premier Bank PLC un-audited half-yearly financial statements to 30-Jun-2026 (consolidated, with DSE disclosure) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
3. The Premier Bank PLC un-audited first-quarter financial statements to 31-Mar-2026 · link · accessed 2026-11-01
4. The Premier Bank PLC Annual Report 2024 · link · accessed 2026-11-01
5. Bangladesh Bank SPCD Circular No. 06, 23-May-2026, dividend declaration policy for banks (Bangla) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
6. NCC Bank PLC Annual Report 2025 (peer: five-year standalone information) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
7. Midland Bank PLC Annual Report 2025 (peer: financial highlights, Basel disclosure) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
8. South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce Bank PLC Annual Report 2025 (peer) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
9. Dhaka Stock Exchange news archive for PREMIERBAN, Apr-2025 to Oct-2026 (board dissolution, results, dividend, category change, rating, sponsor share transfers) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
10. AnalystBro price data (TradingView feed): DSE:PREMIERBAN daily bars to 29-Oct-2026 · link · accessed 2026-11-01
11. The Daily Star, 'Bangladesh gets 3 more years for LDC graduation' (30-Oct-2026) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
12. The Business Standard, 'Bangladesh gets 3 more years before LDC graduation' (30-Oct-2026) · link · accessed 2026-11-01
13. AnalystBro model for this report (workbook tabs below) · link · accessed 2026-11-01