There has been a surge in the number of syndication deals closed in the last few years. 2004 was an exceptionally good year for syndicated deals for the local commercial banks also for the foreign banks. The total number of syndications in 2004 exceeded 10 totaling over Tk. 10 billion. This rise in the number of syndications can be primarily attributed to the prudential lending guidelines of the Bangladesh Bank. A commercial bank may provide funded facilities up to a maximum of 25% of its equity. Due to this reason, projects with sizeable costs need to approach more than one bank for their debt requirements and therefore the demand for syndications exist. Credit risk diversification has led many international companies to introduce credit derivatives that are actively being traded. Securitzation of assets is one such credit risk derivative that allows financial institutions to diversify their portfolios.

At Dhaka Bank Limited, the Syndications and Structured Finance unit was setup on October 30, 2004. This unit successfully closed two syndicated deals in the first and second quarters of 2004. The Syndications and Structured Finance team as a business unit soon followed up by closing another deal totaling Tk 2.10 billion for a large local corporate. The year (2004) being the first full year of operation for the team ended on a high note as we were able to close three syndicated deals as the Lead Bank, two deals as the Co-Arranger and several other deals as a participant.