The state-owned Sonali Bank PLC has made a record Tk2,252 crore in operating profits in the first half of this year despite the several challenges faced by the banking sector, including dollar crisis, liquidity crunch and loan-related anomalies.

In the January-June period of 2023, the bank’s operating profit had reached Tk1,679 crore, which was the previous record high.

Not only in operating profits, the bank broke its previous records on almost all fronts, including total deposit, deposit-to-loan ratio, and net interest, according to data from Sonali Bank.

Asked about the half year achievements, Sonali Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Md Afzal Karim said institutional good governance, better services to the clients including introducing online services played a pivotal role for positive financial health of the bank.

He said the bank registered such a significant rise in its operating profit due to the growth in performing loans, an expansion in loans and advances and increased earnings from various services.

According to the data, the bank’s total deposit stands at Tk15,8,763 crore, Tk9,977 crore higher than the same period of previous year. Its loan amount stands at Tk98,927 crore, which was Tk90,065 crore at the end of June last year.

Sonali Bank’s deposit-to-loan ratio stood at 62.31% at the end of June 2024 while in the same period of the previous year it was 60.53%.