Dhaka, Jan. 22 -- Sharif Zahir, Chairman of United Commercial Bank (UCB) PLC, has called for a clear political commitment from the future elected government to address Bangladesh's growing banking sector challenges, particularly non-performing loans and capital shortfalls.

He made the remarks at the MTB-FE roundtable on "Banking Sector Reforms" held at Six Seasons in Dhaka on Thursday, organised by The Financial Express.

Sharif Zahir said the capital adequacy ratio of banks has fallen to worrying levels, and accurately identifying and classifying actual non-performing loans has become the sector's biggest challenge. This is negatively affecting banks' capital, their ability to engage in international transactions, and access to credit l...