Retirement of Yunus won't hurt Grameen Bank: Atiur

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman yesterday said the retirement of Grameen Bank founder Prof Muhammad Yunus will not hold back the microcredit lender from growing further.
“The performance of Grameen Bank has not been and will not be left to founder following the retirement of its pioneer Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus.”
“With a delegated structure of operational management, Grameen Bank retains a firm footing as one of the country's top three microfinance providers,” the BB governor said after launching a report -- Bangladesh Microfinance Review 2011 -- at BRAC Centre Inn in the capital.
Atiur also said the government is in the process of appointing a capable and innovative new chief executive for the Noble prize winning microcredit organisation with the help of a search committee comprising personages of international repute.
His comments came months after microcredit pioneer Dr Yunus stepped down as the managing director of the bank after the central bank on March 2 relieved him of his responsibility for crossing a retirement age limit.
The governor also spoke about the role of microfinance within the Bangladesh Bank's goal of fostering financial inclusion to take financial services to those who currently do not have access to these services.
He said the central bank's various initiatives are creating a conducive environment for non-government organisations and private sector initiatives for financial inclusion to flourish.