Banking careers are often measured in balance sheets and deal sheets. Faisal Rahman’s, however, can just as easily be traced through the sectors he has helped finance — power plants, infrastructure networks and aviation ventures that have quietly supported Bangladesh’s economic expansion.

Now, as he assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer at Prime Bank, Rahman moves from structuring growth to stewarding it. With more than three decades in banking, including senior roles at Standard Chartered, Eastern Bank and Crédit Agricole Indosuez, he represents a generation of executives shaped by both international banking standards and the realities of a fast-growing domestic market.

His recent work within Prime Bank, where he led wholesale banking and drove a corporate transformation programme, suggests a focus on deepening institutional capability rather than chasing headline expansion. Bangladesh’s banking sector is entering a phase where resilience, risk management and strategic clarity are becoming as important as scale.

For Rahman, the transition from senior operator to chief executive comes with a broader remit; to define not just how the bank grows, but what kind of institution it aims to be in a changing financial system.

In the conversation that follows, he discusses his priorities, the evolving demands on banks in Bangladesh, and the strategic choices that will shape Prime Bank’s next chapter.

To start off, what are your immediate strategic priorities for Prime Bank over the next 12 to 18 months?

Our immediate strategic priority at Prime Bank is to drive sustainable and balanced growth in what remains a challenging macroeconomic environment. Across the banking sector, credit and loan growth are under pressure, while asset quality - particularly non-performing loans (NPLs) - continues to be a key concern.

At Prime Bank, we are committed to supporting credit growth, but in a disciplined and customer-focused manner. We are focusing on deploying our balance sheet across Retail, SME and Wholesale bank customers. Our approach is not growth at any cost; rather, it is about achieving the right balance between expanding our loan portfolio and preserving asset quality.

We are proud to have one of the lowest NPL ratios among private commercial banks in the country, and maintaining that position is a top priority. This requires robust risk management, prudent underwriting standards, and close engagement with our customers to ensure their financial resilience. We believe that strong relationships and a deep understanding of customer needs are critical to sustaining healthy credit growth.

At the same time, we are sharpening our focus on becoming more customer-centric. This means delivering faster, more convenient, and more personalised banking experiences. To support this, we are investing heavily in digital banking, automation, and process re-engineering. By simplifying processes and leveraging technology, we aim to enhance service quality while improving operational efficiency.

Finally, talent development remains central to our strategy. Building a skilled, agile workforce will enable us to execute our transformation agenda and better serve our customers. Overall, our goal is to position Prime Bank for long-term, sustainable growth — anchored in strong asset quality, disciplined expansion, and a relentless focus on customer value.

FAISAL RAHMAN, Chief Executive Officer, Prime Bank | Photograph by Adnan Rahman

How do you plan to protect and grow prime Banks' big corporate accounts during these unpredictable economic times ?

ln today's unpredictable economic environment, protecting and growing Prime Bank's large corporate portfolio requires a strategy anchored in strong client relationships, prudent risk management, and sustainable growth. Our foremost priority is to remain closely engaged with our corporate clients, understanding their evolving business needs and identifying emerging risks early so that we can provide timely and effective financial solutions.

Beyond traditional lending, we are committed to delivering integrated banking solutions, including cash management, trade finance, treasury services, and supply chain financing that help our clients enhance efficiency while strengthening their partnership with the Bank. At the same time, we will pursue selective growth by supporting fundamentally strong businesses in resilient sectors that align with our long-term risk appetite.

By combining financial discipline with a relationship-driven approach, we aim to preserve asset quality, deepen client trust, and create sustainable value for our customers, shareholders, and the broader economy. In uncertain times, our role extends beyond financing, we strive to be a trusted partner in our clients' long-term success."

Prime Bank has been pushing hard on tech integration lately. Moving forward, how much will you rely on things like AI and automated tools?

Technology is absolutely central to our strategy going forward. We see AI and automation not as optional enhancements, but as essential drivers of growth — there’s really no sustainable path forward in banking today without embracing them. As a result, we are investing heavily in digitalisation and automated systems to improve efficiency, speed, and customer experience.

One of our most exciting initiatives is PrimeNow. It is designed to be a fully digital banking experience where customers can open accounts within minutes, place deposits, and access financing with minimal to no human intervention. Alongside this, we are also developing Prime Banijjo as another key digital offering, aimed at expanding our digital ecosystem and serving customers in a more seamless, technology-driven way.

These platforms reflect a broader shift in customer behaviour. The newer generation increasingly prefers to manage their financial lives directly from their devices, expecting instant, intuitive, and always-available services. While traditional brick-and-mortar branches will not disappear entirely, their role is clearly evolving and becoming less central as digital channels take precedence.

At the same time, we are continuously developing our workforce by investing in talent development. As the industry evolves, we want to ensure our employees are equipped with the skills needed to adapt to new technologies and deliver value in a more digital-first environment. Ultimately, our goal is to strike the right balance between cutting-edge technology and a strong, future-ready human capital base.

FAISAL RAHMAN, Chief Executive Officer, Prime Bank | Photograph by Adnan Rahman

A lot of people still view “green finance” as just a box ticking exercise to satisfy regulators. How is the Prime Bank turning sustainability into an actual profit maker?

We genuinely believe that green finance is no longer optional — there’s simply no way around it. For us, this is not about ticking regulatory boxes; it’s about the environment we live in. Dhaka is one of the most densely polluted cities in the world, and this is where we work, where we are raising our families. The realities of climate change and environmental stress are not abstract — they are immediate and very personal.

That belief is reflected in the kinds of projects we choose to support. For example, we are particularly proud to have been involved in financing a solar power initiative on Sonadia Island, which has helped bring reliable electricity to the entire island through renewable energy. It’s a strong example of how green financing can deliver both environmental and economic value by improving livelihoods while reducing dependence on traditional energy sources.

Another initiative we are proud to be associated with is Project Trishna, which is helping provide access to clean and safe drinking water in underserved communities across the country. Projects like these demonstrate that sustainability-focused investments can directly address critical issues like water security while also creating long-term social and economic returns.

Beyond these, we are also actively contributing to areas such as energy and food security, where sustainable financing can play a transformative role. We have a number of projects in the pipeline and are continuously looking for credible, high-impact opportunities where we can deploy capital responsibly.

Ultimately, we see sustainability not as a cost, but as an avenue for long-term value creation. As environmental considerations become increasingly embedded in economic decision-making, green finance will naturally evolve into a strong and viable business segment. Our goal is to stay ahead of that curve — supporting initiatives that are not only good for the planet, but also commercially sustainable and beneficial for the broader economy.

Is Bangladesh ready for more sophisticated sustainable finance tools such as carbon trading?

The journey has certainly begun, but it’s still at a very early stage in Bangladesh. While there is growing awareness around more sophisticated sustainable finance tools like carbon trading and structured green finance products, the overall ecosystem is still developing.

We are already seeing some initial movement — there are a few clients who have started exploring or participating in carbon-related initiatives — but it is still too early to draw firm conclusions about scale or long-term impact. For these markets to mature, we need greater participation across the board, including more corporates, financial institutions, and regulatory support. Market depth, clear frameworks, and stronger supporting infrastructure will all be critical.

At the same time, this is an exciting space with significant long-term potential. Global investors are placing increasing emphasis on environmental standards and climate-related disclosures, and Bangladesh will need to continue building its capabilities in these areas to remain competitive and relevant.

So while we would say the country is not fully ready yet for large-scale deployment of these instruments, the direction is promising. With the right ecosystem development and stakeholder engagement, carbon markets and advanced green finance tools could become an important part of the financial landscape in the years ahead, and it’s definitely something we are watching closely and look forward to being part of as it evolves.

At the same time, we are sharpening our focus on becoming more customer-centric. This means delivering faster, more convenient, and more personalised banking experiences. To support this, we are investing heavily in digital banking, automation, and process re-engineering.

Finally, if you were to offer a suggestion for the financial sector on trying to build a more resilient economy, what would it be?

We need to start thinking in terms of a circular economy. Sustainability, in the broadest sense, is not a single action or policy — it’s a multi-layered approach to how we design businesses, allocate resources, and measure success. A circular economy captures that complexity. It’s about moving away from a linear “take, use, dispose” model toward systems where resources are reused, waste is minimised, and value is continuously regenerated.

From a business perspective, this is not just about environmental responsibility — it’s about long-term profitability and resilience. Companies that embed circular principles into their operations are better positioned to manage resource constraints, reduce costs over time, and adapt to changing regulatory and market expectations. For policymakers, it means creating the right incentives, infrastructure, and frameworks that encourage innovation while ensuring sustainable growth.

The goal is to align economic growth with environmental and social sustainability. Short-term gains will always be tempting, but they often come at the cost of long-term stability. A circular approach forces us to think beyond immediate returns and focus on systems that can endure and evolve.

If we can move in that direction, we will not only build a more resilient economy, but also create one that is sustainable in the truest sense, both in terms of profit and long-term impact.