Corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure of banks in the country dropped by nearly 51% in the first half (H1) of 2025 compared to the previous half (July-December 2024).
During the January-June period, banks spent over Tk150 crore on CSR activities, while the expenditure had stood at nearly Tk307 crore during the preceding half year, marking a decline of about Tk157 crore, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data.
According to the latest data of the central bank, scheduled banks channeled most of their funds into disaster management.
A sector-wise breakdown shows that banks spent Tk34.25 crore (22.75%) in education, Tk28.12 crore (18.67%) in health, and Tk5.21 crore (3.46%) in environment and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The largest share, Tk82.99 crore (55.12%), went to "other sectors."
Under this "other sectors" category, disaster management alone accounted for Tk75.1 crore, representing nearly half (49.88%) of total CSR expenditure.
Banks also spent Tk4.08 crore in miscellaneous areas, Tk3.64 crore in sports and culture, Tk9 lakh in infrastructure development, and Tk8 lakh in income-generating activities.
Education emerged as the second-largest CSR sector, with banks providing scholarships, learning materials, and support for educational infrastructure.
Among the country's six state-owned commercial banks, only three reported CSR spending, amounting to Tk1.01 crore (0.67% of total CSR spending). Three specialized banks together spent Tk2 lakh (0.01% cent).
In contrast, private commercial banks dominated CSR contributions.
Out of 43 private banks, 36 spent Tk141 crore, accounting for 94.01% of total CSR expenditure.
On the other hand, eight out of nine foreign commercial banks spent Tk7.99 crore (5.30%) during the period.
In the first half of 2025, the total CSR expenditure by 10 Islamic banks amounted to Tk36.67 crore, accounting for about 24.36% of the banking sector's total CSR spending.