MFP-SME Prime Bank (IFC-51792)

Countries
  • Bangladesh
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Dec 19, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Prime Bank PLC.
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Finance
  • Industry and Trade
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 70.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ IFC website

Updated in EWS Dec 30, 2025

Disclosed by Bank Nov 19, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the proposed Project is a USD denominated senior, unsecured Working Capital Solutions (WCS) loan of up to US$70 million to Prime Bank PLC (PBL) in Bangladesh, consisting of: (1) up to US$50 million on IFC's own account (IFC A Loan) and (2) up to US$20 million in core mobilization from one or more B lenders. The Project is structured as a one-year facility, renewable twice for an additional one year each time, resulting in a maximum aggregate tenor of three years. The proceeds of this investment will be utilized by the Bank for on-lending to export- and import-oriented SMEs through PBL's offshore banking unit (OBU).The Project is being processed under the SME Envelope of IFC's MSME Finance Platform (MFP) enabling the Project to benefit from the MFP's streamlined procedure with Delegated Authority.                                                    

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The project involves a US$ 70 million WCS loan to Prime Bank (PBL or the bank) to support its lending to small and medium enterprises (SME). PBL’s SME portfolio comprises ready made garment manufacturers, textile mills, printing and dyeing companies, wholesale and retail traders (including importers), construction companies and food processing enterprises. These business segments present medium-low Environmental & Social (“E&S”) risks and impacts which are readily manageable. The typical E&S risks in the SME borrower’s operations relate to labor and working conditions, occupational health and safety, supply chain risk including child labor and forced labor, gender based violence and harassment, air emissions, waste management, and handling of hazardous materials. This project will not support coal-related activities and higher risk business activities that may involve a) involuntary resettlement, b) risk of adverse impacts on Indigenous Peoples, c) significant risks to or impacts on the environment, community health and safety, biodiversity, cultural heritage d) risk of retrenchment or e) significant Occupational Health and Safety risks. Hence, the project is categorized as Category FI-2 in accordance with IFC Sustainability Policy.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

The Project consists of a US$70 million dollar straight senior loan to Prime Bank PLC, of which US$50 million will be on IFC's own account, while the remaining amount will be mobilized from B-lender(s).The facility is structured as one-year senior loan, with the option to rollover twice at IFC's sole discretion, each time for an additional year, for a maximum aggregate maturity of three years.

Financial Intermediary
A financial intermediary is a bank or financial institution that receives funds from a development bank. A financial intermediary then lends these funds to their clients (private actors) in the form of loans, bonds, guarantees and equity shares. Financial intermediaries include insurance, pension and equity funds. The direct financial relationship is between the development bank and the financial intermediary.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

Prime Bank PLC (PBL) was founded in 1995 by a group of prominent Bangladeshi businessmen and is currently the 14th largest private commercial bank in the country. The Bank has been listed on the Bangladesh stock exchanges since 2000. As of October 31, 2025, sponsors and directors hold 36%, institutional investors (local and foreign) hold 43%, and general shareholders hold 21% of the Bank’s shares.


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Prime Bank PLC
Mohammad Anisur Rahman
Executive Vice President – FI
+8801755645468
anis@primebank.com.bd
Simple Tree Anarkali (Level -3), 89 Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka- 1212
www.primebank.com.bd

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit a request for information disclosure at: https://disclosures.ifc.org/#/inquiries

If you believe that your request for information from IFC has been unreasonably denied, or that this Policy has been interpreted incorrectly, you can submit a complaint at the link above to IFC's Access to Information Policy Advisor, who reports directly to IFC's Executive Vice President.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC/MIGA

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an IFC or MIGA- financed project. If you submit a complaint to the CAO, they may assist you in resolving a dispute with the company and/or investigate to assess whether the IFC is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. If you want to submit a complaint electronically, you can email the CAO at CAO@worldbankgroup.org You can learn more about the CAO and how to file a complaint at http://www.cao-ombudsman.org

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