Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim country in the world with around 135 million populations of which 90 percent are Muslim. The people of this country are deeply committed to Islamic way of life as enshrined in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. Naturally, it remains a deep cry in their hearts to fashion and design their economic lives in accordance with the percepts of Islam. The establishment of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited on March 13, 1983, as the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, was the true reflection of this inner urge of its people. It was both a hope and a challenge to the Islam loving people of the country in general and the pioneers of the Islamic banking movement to make it a success. In the beginning there was some doubt in the minds of many people about the viability as well as the sustainability of the Islamic banking system. But the history of two decades of Islamic banking operation in Bangladesh not only removed this doubt from the minds of the people but also showed how a new banking concept based on Islamic values could so rapidly establish itself as the most modern, dynamic, and popular bank of the country. Within this short span of time the workforce of Islamic banks in Bangladesh in general and Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, in particular, by their strong commitment and tireless effort have been able to prove the superiority of Islamic banking over conventional banking in every department of banking operations and services. The success of Islamic banks not only gave them enough floors in the field of banking but also encouraged at least one conventional bank to convert fully all its operations on Islamic principles. (Hassan, M. K. 1999)
The hope and aspiration of the people to run banking system on the basis of Islamic principle came into reality after the OIC recommendation at its
