BRAC Bank leaders call for future readiness at annual risk conference

The leaders of BRAC Bank have called for prior preparedness to face risks likely to surface in the future as the bank held its Annual Risk Conference 2024.

Veteran bankers and experts weighed in on unseen risks, especially in the digital banking ecosystem and cyberspace, as the banking sector navigates challenges of constantly evolving risks. They urged re-examining the existing risk management framework and making it ready to withstand risk emergencies in the future.

The bank organises a risk conference annually to raise co-workers' awareness of risks in daily banking operations and find effective ways to overcome them.

The conference was organised per Bangladesh Bank Risk Management Guidelines for Banks 2018. More than 1,000 co-workers, including Branch Managers, Branch Operations Managers and other senior officials, participated in the daylong conference in person and on a virtual platform at the bank's head office in Dhaka on November 23, 2024.

Meheriar M Hasan, the Chairperson; Faruq Mayeenuddin Ahmed, Vice Chairperson; and Selim R. F. Hussain, Managing Director and CEO of BRAC Bank, participated in a panel discussion on 'Banking Sector Outlook and Way Forward'.

Salek Ahmed Abul Masrur, Independent Director and the Chairman of the Board Risk Management Committee (BRMC), BRAC Bank; Shahidul Islam, CFA, Chief Executive Officer, VIPB Asset Management; participated in a panel discussion on Market & Liquidity Risk and Challenges. Ahmed Rashid Joy, Deputy Managing Director and CRO of BRAC Bank moderated the two sessions.  

Dr. Zahid Hussain, Independent Director at BRAC Bank, presented a keynote on the "Macroeconomic Outlook".

Officials of Bangladesh Bank's Department of Offsite Supervision conducted a Session on "Risk Management in Banks: Regulatory Perspective."

Commenting on the conference, Meheriar M Hasan, Chairperson of BRAC Bank, said: "Banks often come across many risks in day-to-day banking operations. We must upskill our people in risk management to handle them effectively and efficiently. We think capacity building through such a knowledge-sharing conference is essential to face the risks. We have organised this conference, particularly for the frontline co-workers who directly come across the risks. We hope our people will return from the conference with ample knowledge of risk management and utilise it in their workplaces."

Salek Ahmed Abul Masrur, Independent Director and Chairman of the Board Risk Management Committee, BRAC Bank, said: "As a values-based organisation, BRAC Bank inculcates in its co-workers the knowledge of risk management to ensure good governance. We thank Bangladesh Bank for continuous policy support and guidance regarding risk management. We will continue to organise the knowledge-sharing session to augment the co-workers' risk management capability under Bangladesh Bank's guidance. With continuous awareness initiatives, we aim to become a role model in risk management and compliance in the banking industry".