The City Bank

What The City Bank does

The City Bank is a first-generation private commercial bank in Bangladesh, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Dhaka. It operates as a publicly listed public limited company (PLC) traded on the Dhaka Stock Exchange under the ticker CITYBANK, and is led by Managing Director Mashrur Arefin with Hossain Khaled as Chairman. With 5,001-10,000 employees, the bank delivers standard commercial banking products and services to retail, SME, and corporate customers across Bangladesh's 64 districts, and has expanded into a digital banking unit under a dedicated Deputy Managing Director role held by Mizanur Rashid.

The bank's business model combines traditional deposit-taking and lending with newer strategic initiatives in rural and startup financing. It is a founding participant in the Bangladesh Startup Investment Company (BSIC) PLC, a 39-bank venture capital platform with TK 425 crore committed capital (~$35M), where each contributing bank commits 1% of annual net profits to seed, late-seed, and Series A startup financing. Separately, Managing Director Mashrur Arefin chairs a government committee developing the financing framework for the One Village One Product (OVOP) rural economy scheme, which targets over 10 million beneficiaries and shifts the bank's rural lending model from collateral-based to value-chain financing.

The City Bank has raised external debt/equity facilities of $30M from British International Investment (2021) and $75M led by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with the New Development Bank (2025). The company website returned incomplete data during collection, so specific product names and pricing details were not captured; product-level disclosure is limited. The bank is also preparing to participate in the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit's Proactive Transaction Monitoring System (PTMS) pilot, signaling operational modernization in compliance infrastructure.

Name

The City Bank

Legal name

The City Bank PLC

Website

https://thecitybank.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The City Bank is a Bangladesh-based publicly listed commercial bank founded in 1983, serving retail, SME, and corporate customers across the country's 64 districts. It participates in the BSIC PLC venture capital platform and leads the financing framework for the government's One Village One Product rural scheme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211), Commercial Banking (522110), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021), State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business Banking (Microbusiness/Sole Proprietor) (FSABAAAI)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Commercial banking
• Digital banking
• Corporate banking
• Consumer lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

The City Bank PLC is a first generation private commercial bank in Bangladesh, founded in 1983, that delivers retail, corporate, and digital banking products and services. It also participates in sector-wide initiatives including the Bangladesh Startup Investment Company (BSIC) PLC venture capital platform and the government-led One Village One Product (OVOP) rural financing framework.

Product overview

The City Bank is a commercial bank in Bangladesh offering standard banking products and services. The company website was inaccessible during data collection (returning a verification/loading page), and no specific product names, modules, or service offerings were documented in the available source material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Banking Services Standard commercial banking products and services including deposits, lending, and transaction banking for retail and corporate customers across Bangladesh.
• Digital Banking Services

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bangladesh Government (OVOP Scheme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2026The City Bank's Managing Director Mashrur Arefin leads a government committee to finalize the framework for the One Village One Product (OVOP) scheme. The bank is developing financing mechanisms and operational guidelines for participating banks to support rural economy development, employment generation for 10 million+ people, and promotion of traditional local products.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AB Bank: AB Bank is another first-generation private commercial bank in Bangladesh, founded in 1982 as the country's first private sector bank. It is the most direct comparable to The City Bank in terms of vintage, public-listing status, and SME/corporate banking focus.
• BRAC Bank: BRAC Bank is one of the largest private commercial banks in Bangladesh with a strong SME and retail focus and significant digital banking capabilities. It directly competes with The City Bank for SME and corporate clients and is widely seen as a more digitally mature peer.
• Dutch-Bangla Bank: Dutch-Bangla Bank is one of the leading private commercial banks in Bangladesh, known for its agent banking network and technology-led retail strategy. It is a direct competitor to The City Bank across retail, SME, and digital banking segments.
• Eastern Bank Limited: Eastern Bank is a mid-tier private commercial bank in Bangladesh focused on corporate, SME, and retail banking. It is closely comparable to The City Bank in size, customer mix, and digital transformation trajectory.
• Prime Bank Limited: Prime Bank is a private commercial bank in Bangladesh offering corporate, SME, and retail banking products. It is comparable to The City Bank as a mid-tier privately-listed peer with similar service breadth and Dhaka-headquartered operations.
• Bank Asia Limited: Bank Asia is a Bangladeshi private commercial bank offering corporate, retail, and SME banking with Islamic banking windows. Comparable to The City Bank in scale, public-market listing, and product mix.
• Mutual Trust Bank Limited: Mutual Trust Bank is a private commercial bank in Bangladesh providing corporate, SME, and retail banking. It is a like-for-like peer to The City Bank in terms of vintage, listing, and customer segments.
• United Commercial Bank (UCB): UCB is one of the local private commercial banks in Bangladesh focused on corporate and retail banking. It directly competes with The City Bank in the same Dhaka-based mid-tier private banking category.
• Southeast Bank Limited: Southeast Bank is a Bangladeshi private commercial bank providing corporate, retail, and SME banking services. It is comparable to The City Bank in scale, service mix, and listed-entity status on the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

Broad incumbents

• Standard Chartered Bangladesh: Standard Chartered's Bangladesh franchise is a foreign-incorporated bank operating across corporate, institutional, and priority banking. It is a broad incumbent in the same market but with a global balance sheet, premium customer focus, and broader product suite.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thecitybank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The City Bank