The number of bank accounts holding more than Tk1 crore in deposits rose to 141,562 at the end of June this year, up by 5,077 from 136,485 at the end of March, according to the latest Bangladesh Bank data released Monday (14 September).
Deposits in these accounts also increased by Tk16,498 crore over the three-month period, rising from Tk8.59 lakh crore in March to Tk8.76 lakh crore in June.
Overall, the banking sector had 18.64 crore accounts at the end of June, holding total deposits of Tk22.10 lakh crore. In March, there were 18.26 crore accounts with deposits of Tk21.58 lakh crore.
However, deposits in millionaire accounts held by individuals declined. At the end of June, individuals had 40,701 accounts with deposits exceeding Tk1 crore, containing Tk90,131 crore. In March, there were 40,630 such accounts with Tk91,352 crore in deposits.
This means the number of individual millionaire accounts increased by just 71, while their total deposits fell by Tk1,221 crore.
Banking sector insiders attribute the overall rise in large deposits largely to institutional accounts. Weak investment, high interest rates, energy shortages and broader economic uncertainty have discouraged many businesses from expanding operations or making new investments. As a result, companies are keeping more working capital and temporarily unused funds in banks.
At the individual level, high inflation and rising living costs have reduced savings capacity, contributing to the decline in deposits held in individual millionaire accounts.
Bangladesh Bank data show that the number of accounts holding more than Tk1 crore has increased sharply over the decades. There were only five such accounts in 1972, compared with 93,890 in December 2020, 1,09,946 in December 2022 and 1,34,044 in December 2025.
However, the number of millionaire bank accounts does not represent the actual number of millionaires in Bangladesh, as the accounts include those held by businesses, government agencies and other organisations. Individuals and institutions may also operate multiple bank accounts.
