Dhaka, Nov. 5 -- Depositors at the five Islamic banks set for merger will be able to start withdrawing their money later this month, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur has announced.

At a press briefing at the central bank's auditorium on Wednesday afternoon, the governor confirmed that the boards of the troubled banks had been dissolved due to "irregularities".

He also declared that the shares of the five private Shariah-based banks had become "worthless."

"There is no reason for concern now," Mansur said. "Depositors who need money will be able to withdraw it. Those with deposits up to Tk 200,000 should not face any problems."

He asked depositors with larger balances to be patient, pledging full repayment and market-rate profit...