Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Ahsan H Mansur has said that some crisis-prone Islami banks will be merged into one under state ownership to protect depositors` interests.

"The central bank`s first priority is securing depositors` assets or money. Whether banks survive or not is a secondary matter," he said at a press conference at the central bank headquarters on Tuesday.

He assured depositors their funds would remain safe during the transition, as the government would take over the merged banks.

Responding to a question, Dr Mansur said investigations into money laundering cases are sometimes delayed due to inter-ministerial non-cooperation and complex role-sharing among different entities.

He expressed the hope that investigations would gain momentum following amendments to the `Money Laundering Act`, which would empower the taskforce to recover stolen funds more effectively.