Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder has resigned. He submitted his resignation letter to the Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division, Mohammad Abdur Rahman Khan, citing personal reasons. The resignation letter was sent around 3 PM today, and the Secretary has not commented on the matter.
Governor Talukder has not been seen at the Bangladesh Bank since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5. He has also been absent from his residence, the Governor House. The spokesperson for Bangladesh Bank, Mezbaul Haque, stated that he was unaware of the resignation.
According to regulations, the appointment and resignation of the Governor require approval from the Financial Institutions Division under the Ministry of Finance. Consequently, Talukder submitted his resignation to this division.
Following the political changes on August 5, a group of officials demanded the resignation of the central bank’s Governor, four Deputy Governors, and other senior officials, forcing one Deputy Governor to sign a blank paper and persuading four others to agree to resign. This is the first such occurrence after a government change, according to senior officials.
Abdur Rouf Talukder was appointed as Governor on June 11, 2022, and officially took office on July 12 of the same year. Prior to his appointment, he was the Secretary of the Economic Division of the Ministry of Finance. His tenure saw significant controversy, including criticism for imposing restrictions on journalists’ access to the bank and challenges in managing banking sector issues such as corruption, loan defaults, and currency crises.
