For most Bangladeshi savers, a Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) is the default home for hard-earned money — simple, familiar, and seemingly safe. When people shop for one, they usually compare a single number: the interest rate. But a slightly higher rate at a fragile bank is a poor trade. The question that matters is not “who pays the most?” — it is “which is a safe bank for FDR in Bangladesh?” This guide ranks the country's listed banks on the financial ratios that actually signal safety — capital adequacy, bad-loan levels and provisioning — using audited 2025 figures, and then shows you how to read those ratios for yourself so you never have to take a ranking on faith.
What Actually Protects Your FDR Money?
Two things stand between your deposit and a loss: government deposit insurance, and the bank's own balance sheet. Most savers rely on the first and ignore the second — which is backwards for any sizeable deposit.
1. Deposit insurance covers only the first ৳2,00,000
Under the Deposit Protection Act, 2026, each depositor is insured up to ৳2,00,000 per depositor, per bank — doubled from the old ৳1,00,000 ceiling. FDRs are covered deposits. But two limits matter: the fund pays out only if a bank is formally placed into liquidation or resolution, and only up to that ceiling. Anything above ৳2 lakh becomes a claim on the liquidator, settled from whatever the bank's assets fetch.
The practical takeaway: for any FDR larger than ৳2 lakh, the strength of the bank itself is your real protection. That argues for two habits — favour genuinely strong banks, and consider splitting very large sums so more of your money sits under the insured ceiling at each institution.
2. This is not an academic exercise
Bangladesh's banking sector is unusually uneven right now. Drawing on Bangladesh Bank's own September 2025 stability assessment, reporting indicated that 21 of 61 banks failed to meet the minimum capital requirement, and the sector's aggregate capital ratio briefly touched a record low. In other words, the distance between the strongest and weakest banks is wide — which is exactly why the ratios below are worth a few minutes of your attention.
Source: Bangladesh Bank Quarterly Financial Stability Assessment, Jul–Sep 2025, as reported by New Age, Feb 2026.
The Five Ratios to Check Before You Open an FDR
You do not need to be an analyst. Five numbers — all published in every bank's audited accounts — tell you most of what you need to know.
| Ratio | What it measures | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR / CRAR) | The bank's capital held against its risk-weighted assets — its shock absorber. | At least 12.5% (10% minimum + 2.5% buffer). Comfortably above is better. |
| Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio | Share of loans borrowers have stopped repaying — asset quality. | Lower is better. Under ~5% is healthy; double digits is a warning sign. |
| Provision Coverage | Money already set aside against those bad loans. | Above 100% means bad loans are fully covered. Higher = more cushion. |
| Return on Equity (ROE) | Profitability — whether the bank earns enough to sustain itself. | Positive and steady. Persistent losses erode the capital that protects you. |
| CASA ratio | Share of cheap current & savings deposits in the funding mix. | Higher CASA = cheaper, stickier funding and a more resilient bank. |
One more quick check: positive EPS and NAVPS. A bank reporting per-share losses or a negative net asset value is signalling deeper trouble, whatever its branch network or brand suggests.
How We Ranked the Banks — Kept Transparent
Objectivity means showing the method, not just the verdict. Ours has two steps:
- Screen first. A bank is eligible only if it clears CAR ≥ 12.5%, NPL ≤ 10%, positive ROE and positive EPS. This removes distressed banks before any scoring.
- Then score. Eligible banks get a 0–100 composite weighting CAR 30%, NPL 30%, provision coverage 20%, ROE 15% and deposit growth 5% — deliberately loading the two things a depositor cares about most: capital and asset quality.
This is one reasonable method, not the only one; shift the weights and the order moves a little. We left “brand name” out of the maths because it is subjective — yet the banks that rise to the top are also, largely, the country's bigger and better-known private franchises. Data throughout is from audited 2025 financial statements, compiled by UCB Stock Brokerage (UCBSBL) Research.
The Top 10 Banks for FDR Safety (2025 Data)
| # | Bank | CAR | NPL | Provision Cov. | ROE | Safety score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prime Bank | 17.8% | 2.7% | 152.0% | 21.4% | 88.6 |
| 2 | BRAC Bank | 19.6% | 2.4% | 105.4% | 20.1% | 86.3 |
| 3 | Pubali Bank | 15.5% | 2.2% | 215.2% | 17.5% | 84.8 |
| 4 | Eastern Bank (EBL) | 14.9% | 2.4% | 134.6% | 17.9% | 81.5 |
| 5 | City Bank | 15.5% | 2.5% | 113.9% | 24.4% | 80.9 |
| 6 | Jamuna Bank | 16.7% | 4.0% | 133.3% | 23.4% | 79.8 |
| 7 | Midland Bank | 15.9% | 3.1% | 166.9% | 8.2% | 74.4 |
| 8 | NCC Bank | 15.8% | 4.1% | 103.9% | 16.7% | 71.7 |
| 9 | Dhaka Bank | 13.7% | 3.8% | 184.0% | 11.7% | 71.2 |
| 10 | Uttara Bank | 17.1% | 4.8% | 66.6% | 20.5% | 70.1 |
Higher CAR and provision coverage are better; lower NPL is better. The Safety score is our 0–100 composite (method above). Audited 2025 data, compiled by UCBSBL Research.
What the Numbers Say
Prime Bank and BRAC Bank lead — thick capital (17.8% and 19.6%), very low NPLs (2–3%), strong profitability and full provisioning: broadly the safest profiles in the listed universe. Pubali Bank posts the lowest NPL of all (2.2%) and the highest provision coverage (215%) — a conservative, heavily-cushioned book from one of the country's oldest franchises.
City Bank and Eastern Bank (EBL) pair low NPLs with the strongest returns (ROE of 24.4% and 17.9%), a sign of healthy, sustainable earnings. Midland, NCC and Dhaka Bank are smaller but clean — low bad loans and generous provisioning (Dhaka Bank at 184%). Uttara Bank brings strong capital and ROE plus the highest CASA among the leaders (55%): cheap, sticky funding. Honourable mention: Dutch-Bangla just missed the cut (11th, score 69.9) — strong capital and a sector-leading 79% CASA, but a 6.4% NPL nudged it out of the ten.
And in the other direction, objectively: several familiar names sit well below the screen on these 2025 numbers. AB Bank and National Bank reported negative capital and NPLs above 55%; IFIC and Premier Bank also flagged heavy losses or very high bad loans. Even UCB — whose research desk compiled this data — screened out on capital (8.0%, below the 12.5% bar). Familiarity, age or branch count is not the same as balance-sheet strength. Reported ratios are a snapshot and can lag reality, so always check the latest audited figures before committing a large FDR.
FDRs, Tax and Liquidity — the Fine Print Savers Miss
Even at a strong bank, an FDR has two quiet drawbacks. Interest is taxed at your marginal rate — up to 30% — and breaking the deposit early usually forfeits much of that interest. Here is how ৳1,00,000 held for one year compares, for a saver in the top bracket (see also our deeper look at FDR, DPS and Sanchayapatra vs mutual funds):
| Where you invest ৳1,00,000 | Return | Tax | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekush Stable Return Fund (ESRF) | 11.0% | ৳0 (capital gain, tax-free up to ৳50 lakh) | ৳11,000 |
| Sanchayapatra | 11.8% | − ৳3,540 (marginal rate) | ৳8,260 |
| Bank FDR | 10.0% | − ৳3,000 (marginal rate) | ৳7,000 |
Indicative and illustrative — actual returns vary and are not guaranteed. The point is that the after-tax gap between products can be wider than the headline rate suggests.
The Managed Route: One Fund, Many Strong Banks
Picking a single bank forces a concentrated bet and locks your money in. A fixed-income fund reframes the problem: instead of “which bank?”, you hold a diversified basket of the strong ones. These funds spread money across Treasury bills and bonds, investment-grade corporate paper, and FDRs placed with highly-rated banks — the very institutions that top a ranking like this one (more on how these instruments work in our guide to fixed income and government securities). For context, the listed fixed-income funds include:
| Fund | Asset manager |
|---|---|
| EDGE High Quality Income Fund | EDGE AMC Ltd. |
| Ekush Stable Return Fund (ESRF) | Ekush Wealth Management Ltd. |
| IDLC Income Fund | IDLC AMC Ltd. |
| Sandhani AML SLIC Fixed Income Fund | Sandhani AMCL |
| Shanta Fixed Income Fund | Shanta AMCL |
| UCB Income Plus Fund | UCB AMCL |
Where Ekush fits: the Ekush Stable Return Fund (ESRF) is built for exactly the saver weighing an FDR. It targets capital preservation with tax-efficient returns, holding T-bills and bonds, FDRs from AAA-rated banks and NBFIs, investment-grade corporate bonds and preference shares, with active duration management. Versus a single FDR it offers three things — diversification across many strong issuers rather than one; daily encashability at NAV instead of an early-break penalty; and tax-efficient returns (fund gains are tax-free up to ৳50 lakh, versus FDR interest taxed at your marginal rate). There is no entry or exit load. It is worth noting that ESRF's own trustee is BRAC Bank — one of the strongest banks in this very ranking.
The trade-off, stated plainly: a fund's value can move with markets, so it is not identical to a fixed, guaranteed rate. It suits savers who value diversification and liquidity; a straightforward FDR at a strong bank, held to maturity, remains perfectly sensible too.
The Bottom Line
Chase safety before yield. Shortlist banks that clear a 12.5% CAR, keep NPLs low and provision heavily — on the 2025 numbers that points to names like Prime, BRAC, Pubali, EBL and City. Keep large balances mindful of the ৳2 lakh insurance ceiling, and if diversification and liquidity matter to you, a managed fixed-income fund is a natural complement to — or substitute for — a single FDR. See how tax changes your take-home on any option with the Ekush tax calculator.
The Ekush Stable Return Fund spreads your money across strong, highly-rated banks and government securities — tax-efficient, daily-liquid, with no entry or exit load.
Explore the Stable Return FundFrequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not investment or tax advice. Bank ratios are drawn from audited 2025 financial statements (UCBSBL Research) and are a point-in-time snapshot; indicative returns and tax figures are illustrative estimates based on Ekush's tax calculator under the Finance Act 2026 (AY 2026–27). Your actual outcome depends on your circumstances — consult a tax advisor and verify the latest figures before investing. Investments in mutual funds carry risk, including possible loss of principal; the sponsor, asset manager and fund do not guarantee returns. Ekush Wealth Management Limited is regulated by BSEC (License BSEC/AMC/2019/44); Trustee: BRAC Bank.