Biography
Md. Abdul Awwal Sarker is the Former Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh, where he served from March 1985 to January 2026. He is currently the Adviser to the Islamic Banking Project at Janata Bank PLC (since December 2025) and a Director on the Board of Directors of Janata Bank PLC (since November 2024), where he also serves on the Board Audit Committee.
Mr. Sarker was the Director General of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Training and Research Institute (2021–2024) on a contractual basis, and earlier served as Director General of the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance (IIBI, London, UK), Bangladesh Regional Office, Dhaka (2002–2003), and as Principal of the Al-Baraka Bank Training Academy (1997). He has been a Visiting Research Scholar at AAOIFI (Manama, Bahrain, 2018) and IRTI of the Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah, KSA, 2015).
His areas of specialisation span central banking, Islamic economics, banking and finance, Takaful and Re-Takaful, Islamic monetary policy instruments, Sukuk issuance and management, and Islamic financial product development.
Educational Qualifications
- M.Sc. in International Banking (with distinction in Islamic Economics and Banking) — Loughborough University, UK (1998)
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Insurance — Institute of Islamic Banking & Insurance (IIBI), London, UK (1996)
- M.A. in Economics — Department of Economics, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh (1983)
- B.A. (Honours) in Economics — Carmichael College, Rangpur, Bangladesh (1981)
- Certificate in Islamic Finance for Ulama and Shariah Scholars — IBA-CEIF, Karachi, Pakistan (2021)
- Certificate in Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh — IIIT (USA) and IIUM (2022)
Services Rendered (1985 – 2026)
- Adviser, Islamic Banking Project, Janata Bank PLC (since December 2025)
- Director, Board of Directors, Janata Bank PLC (since November 2024)
- Member, Board Audit Committee, Janata Bank PLC (since November 2024)
- Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank (2019–2020)
- Director General, Al-Arafah Islami Bank Training and Research Institute (2021–2024) — contractual
- Director General, IIBI London, Bangladesh Regional Office, Dhaka (2002–2003)
- Principal, Al-Baraka Bank Training Academy, Dhaka (1997)
Areas of Specialisation
- Central Banking & Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance
- Islamic Insurance — Takaful and Re-Takaful
- Monetary Policy — Development of Islamic Monetary Policy Instruments
- Development of Islamic Financial Products and Services
- Sukuk — Issuance and Management
- Establishment and operation of bank training institutes
Selected International Contributions
- Member, AAOIFI Working Group on Governance Standard on an Alternative Benchmark Rate (since 2021)
- AAOIFI Visiting Research Scholar, Manama, Bahrain (2018)
- IRTI Visiting Research Scholar, Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, KSA (2015)
- Member, IFSB Islamic Money Market Taskforce — Malaysia (2006)
- Contributing author to COMCEC publications on Islamic Financial Architecture for OIC Member Countries
Selected Contributions to Islamic Finance in Bangladesh
- Contributed to the development of detailed mechanism of the Government Islamic Investment Bond (GIIB) in 2004
- Contributed to the development of <em>Guidelines for Islamic Banking</em> issued by Bangladesh Bank in 2009
- Led the Bangladesh Bank team that designed the Sukuk issuance and management procedure for the Government of Bangladesh (Sukuk al-Ijarah issued in 2020)
- Developed Standard Operating Procedures for Hajj & Umrah service products, Cash Waqf Deposit products, and Shariah manuals for multiple banks and NBFIs
- Prepared Feasibility Study Reports on the conversion of NCC Bank PLC (2025) and Trust Bank Limited (2024) into full-fledged Islamic banks
Editorial & Academic Contributions
- Founding Executive Editor, BBTA Journal <em>Thoughts on Banking and Finance</em> (2012–2014)
- Member, Editorial Board, Quarterly Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance — IBTRA, Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd
- Editor, Quarterly Journal <em>Thoughts on Economics</em>, Islamic Economics Research Bureau
- University Adjunct Faculty (since 1999) — Islamic banking and finance courses at graduate and postgraduate level
- Authored 31+ articles published at home, 12 articles published abroad, and 8 book chapters