Accounts holding over Tk1cr rise by 5,077, deposits up Tk16,000cr
Large-Balance Bank Accounts Expand Despite Economic Pressures
Bdbusinessdaily.com – Bangladesh saw a notable increase in bank accounts holding more than Tk1 crore during the three months ending in June, even as inflation remained high and weaknesses in the financial sector continued to affect confidence. The number of such accounts rose by 5,077, while the money held in them increased by almost Tk16,000 crore.
Deposits in accounts with balances above Tk1 crore reached Tk8.75 lakh crore at the end of June, compared with Tk8.59 lakh crore at the end of March. The figures underline continued growth in high-value deposits, but bankers say they should not be treated as a straightforward measure of how many wealthy individuals live in the country.
A large share of these accounts belongs to institutions rather than private citizens. Bankers estimate that individuals hold roughly 30% of crore-plus accounts, with companies, organisations and other institutional depositors accounting for the remainder. As a result, a rise in the category does not automatically mean that the number of millionaires has increased by the same amount.
Deposit Growth Lags the Wider Banking System
Bank deposits normally increase over time, though the pace can vary with economic conditions. For that reason, growth in the number of accounts crossing the Tk1 crore threshold is not unexpected. However, deposits in these accounts have expanded more slowly than deposits across the banking sector as a whole.
Total banking-sector deposits recorded annual growth of nearly 11% in June. By contrast, deposits held in crore-plus accounts grew by 8.29% over the year. That rate was higher than the 4.52% recorded a year earlier, but it still remained below overall deposit growth.
The gap suggests that the expansion of the country’s banking deposits is not being driven only by the largest account holders. It also reflects the broader increase in money held by households, businesses and institutions across different account sizes.
Bank Data Offer Only a Partial Picture of Wealth
High-value account data may not fully capture the scale or distribution of wealth in Bangladesh. Many affluent people choose to put money into land, homes and other physical assets instead of leaving substantial cash balances at banks. Some depositors also spread funds among multiple accounts, preventing any single account from exceeding Tk1 crore.
There have also been allegations that some wealthy individuals move earnings abroad, where money may be used to buy property, vehicles or support expensive lifestyles. Concerns related to VAT, taxation and possible harassment can further discourage people from keeping large sums in domestic bank accounts.
Political uncertainty and the continued strain on the banking sector have added to hesitation among some large depositors. These factors can influence not only how much money remains in banks, but also whether it is placed in one account, divided across several institutions, or directed toward other assets.
A senior Meghna Bank official said the sums held by ultra-rich individuals in bank accounts remain small when compared with the size of Bangladesh’s economy, estimated at about $475 billion. He also pointed to the country’s pronounced wealth inequality.
“But the bank account data do not reflect this inequality,” he said.
The official said the limited number of very large personal deposits raises questions about where wealth is being kept. Only 120 individual bank accounts held more than Tk25 crore, a figure he considered difficult to reconcile with the country’s wider wealth distribution.
“This could mean that ultra-rich people are not keeping their money in banks, or that they do not feel comfortable keeping large amounts of money in a single bank account,” he said.
High-Value Deposits Can Move Sharply
The number and value of crore-plus accounts have not followed a smooth upward path. At the end of December last year, around 134,000 accounts held more than Tk1 crore, containing deposits of Tk8.34 lakh crore. By the end of June 2025, the number had fallen to roughly 127,000 accounts, although their combined deposits stood at Tk8.8 lakh crore.
These movements show that account totals and balances can change significantly over relatively short periods. A depositor may withdraw funds, make investments, transfer money between banks or divide a balance into separate accounts. Institutional cash-management decisions can also produce sizable shifts in the data.
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan said the makeup of the accounts must be considered before drawing conclusions from the headline figures.
“Therefore, there is no scope to directly equate the increase in the number of crore-plus accounts with an increase in the number of millionaires.”
He said an increase in personal accounts containing more than Tk1 crore should not automatically be viewed negatively when it is in line with economic expansion. At the same time, he stressed the need to consider whether an individual could reasonably build such wealth from legal sources of income, including salary, allowances and business earnings, while taking inflation into account.
“If the increase in someone's bank balance is not consistent with their income and expenditure, a rapid rise in the amount of money in the account can be a cause for concern,” he said.
Inequality Remains a Central Concern
The growth of large deposits can also carry a broader warning about how wealth is distributed. Arief said a rising number of people with crore-plus balances may point to increasing inequality rather than simply stronger prosperity.
“A larger number of people becoming millionaires may also indicate greater inequality in the distribution of wealth,” he said. “The concentration of excessive wealth in the hands of a small number of people is not positive for the economy of any country.”
For readers, the figures are best understood as an indicator of banking behaviour rather than a complete census of personal wealth. They reveal that large deposits are increasing, but they also reflect the dominant role of institutions, the tendency of wealthy people to invest outside banks, and uncertainty surrounding the financial system. The data therefore offer one view of Bangladesh’s economy, while leaving important questions about asset ownership, income sources and wealth concentration unresolved.
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Accounts holding over Tk1cr rise by 5?Accounts holding over Tk1cr rise by 5 is the main topic of this guide. The article explains the context, practical details, and next steps readers should understand.
Why does Accounts holding over Tk1cr rise by 5 matter?Accounts holding over Tk1cr rise by 5 matters because readers are looking for a useful answer, not just a short summary. Good content should match search intent and help them decide what to do next.