Images published in the local media on Saturday showed signs of Bank Ayandeh being replaced with signs of Bank Melli in the defunct bank’s offices and branches in Tehran and other cities across the country.
That came two days after the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced that efforts to save Bank Ayandeh from bankruptcy had failed permanently, leaving authorities with no option but to dissolve the bank.
CBI Governor Mohammad Reza Farzin said on Thursday that all accounts, staff, assets, and liabilities of Bank Ayandeh will be transferred to Bank Melli, as he assured depositors that they will be able to recover their savings immediately.
Bank Ayandeh was set up in 2013 following the merger of a bank and two credit institutions. The bank was known for owning a massive shopping and recreational center outside the capital Tehran, a project many believed had benefited from many irregularities during its funding process.
CBI statements released in recent weeks showed the bank had 5,500 trillion rials ($5.14 billion) in accumulated losses on top of 3,100 trillion rials in overdrafts from CBI resources.
The dissolution of Bank Ayandeh has been viewed by economic experts as a sign that Iran is serious about reforming its banking system despite being subject to a harsh regime of foreign sanctions that restrict its access to foreign capital and investment.
The CBI said in early August that 14 out of 29 banks in Iran had increased their capital adequacy ratio to above 8%, marking a significant improvement from 2021, when only 7 banks in the country had met the standard.
The bank said the average capital adequacy ratio of Iranian banks had reached 1.75% after years of hovering around negative territory
It said that total capital held by banks in Iran had increased by 5,200 trillion rials in March 2021 to 11,700 trillion rials in July 2025.
The lender said the average capital adequacy ratio in the Iranian banking system would soon increase to 5.5%, adding that new banking laws in the country stipulate that the ratio should reach a target of 8% by 2029.
Bank Ayandeh’s capital adequacy ratio was minus 600% before it was dissolved.
Press TV