Mashrur Arefin, DMD and COO of City Bank and Nasser Rahman, Managing Director and Chairman, Dusai Resort and Spa, exchange documents after signing an agreement in Dhaka recently.

 City Bank recently

signed an agreement with Dusai Resort and Spa, a luxurious 5-star quality boutique villa type resort and spa in Bangladesh nestled inside 14 acres of hills, beside the tea gardens in Moulvibazar district in Sylhet.

Under the agreement, customers of CityGem, the exclusive priority banking arm of City Bank, will enjoy

various special offers at Dusai which include 20 percent discount on all types of rooms, 20 percent discount on spa, 10 percent discount on foods and beverages etc. supported by dedicated officials for the Citygem clientele.

Mashrur Arefin, DMD and COO of City Bank and Nasser Rahman, Managing Director and Chairman, Dusai Resort and Spa signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Among others Ali Reza, Head of CityGem Priority Banking, Nazmul Karim Coudhury, Head of Brand of City Bank and Nabil Nasser, Director, Trina Falgune, Head of Sales and Marketing of Dusai Resort & Spa and other senior officials from both the organisations were present.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman on Saturday commented that access to finance is the key to fostering green technologies and asked banks and financial institutions to come up with products tailored with that reality.

“To foster the development of green technology, appropriate financing mechanism is essential from banks and financial intermediaries,” said Dr Atiur Rahman.

“But access to finance is vital for the successful implementation of green initiatives,” he added. An unencumbered flow of financing can expedite the growth of green industry, he said.

“This is high time for the banks and financial institutions to move forward with research and development which is indispensable for exploring appropriate technologies and techniques and new green products,” Dr Atiur said.

BB Governor was addressing the inaugural function of Green Finance Conference 2014 at city’s Bangladesh Bank Training Academy (BBTA).

He said transition to a green economy has the potential to unlock new growth engines and spur business opportunities and Bangladesh can also benefit from widespread use of green technologies.

BB has been encouraging green banking since 2008 with issuing green banking guideline, and instructing banks and FIs on environmental risk management, CSR and financial inclusion, he mentioned.

The central bank governor said the banks in Bangladesh have been advised to finance solar energy, bio-gas plant, ETP and Hybrid Hoffman Kiln (HHK) in brick field under refinance programs.

“In order to bring further momentum in this mode of financing, we have already introduced Taka 2.0 billion refinance line against bank loans for investments in 16 green products. Of late, the off-take from this green fund has started acquiring desirable momentum,” he said.

SK Sur Chowdhury and Nazneen Sultana, Deputy Governors of Bangladesh Bank and ASM Main Uddin Monem, Vice-Chairman of NCC Bank Ltd, Dipal Chandra Barua, President of the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association and Ataur Rahman, executive director of the Bangladesh Bank Training Academy among others, spoke on the occasion.

Akhtar Kamal, Abul Moqsud

Akhtar Kamal Talukder and Abul Moqsud were recently promoted to Deputy Managing Directors of Eastern Bank Limited with effect from March 1, 2014.

Akhtar Kalam Talukder, an MBA from IBA, University of Dhaka, started his career with ANZ Grindlays Bank as Management Trainee in 1987, said a press release.

Later, he worked in different capacities for Mashreq Bank, Union National Bank, BEXIMCO Group and One Bank.

He joined EBL in 2005 and has been serving as the Head of Internal Control and Compliance.
Abul Moqsud, an MA in Economics from University of Dhaka, joined EBL in 2007.

He started his career with James Finlay in 1979. He has earned more than three decades’ experience in banking arena and specialisation in Credit Service, Loan Syndication, Project Finance and Branch Banking.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) allowed freight forwarders, handling FOB (Free- On- Board) export cargo, for opening foreign currency accounts to facilitate the payments in foreign currency.

Shipping lines, airlines and multimodal transport operators licensed as freight forwarders by Customs Authorities

will now be able to open and maintain accounts in US dollar or other freely convertible currencies with Authorized

Dealer (AD) banks to receive payments in foreign currency against their handling of FOB export cargos from

Bangladesh. Foreign Exchange Policy Department (FEPD) deputy general manager Md Zakir Hossain

Chowdhury on Monday issued a circular directing the AD banks to follow the instruction. Funds from these

accounts will be usable in foreign currency for payments costs and charges abroad relating to handling of FOB

imports into Bangladesh, said the central bank circular.

Md Badiul Alam, Managing Director of National Bank Ltd, inaugurates a branch at Joina Bazar in Gazipur on Monday.

National Bank Limited (NBL) opened its 172nd branch at Joina Bazar in Gazipur on Monday.

Md Badiul Alam, Managing Director of the bank, inaugurated the branch as chief guest, said a press release.

Meanwhile, a discussion meeting was held on the occasion. AKM Shafiqur Rahman, Additional Managing Director of the bank, presided over the meeting. Shamsul Huda Khan

Deputy Managing Director of the bank, delivered his welcome addresses at the meeting.

Md Badiul Alam said, “NBL will pay a remarkable contribution in the business development of Gazipur area like other branches of the bank in the near future.”

Mohammad Salim, Executive Vice President and Head of System and Operations Division, Md Ashraf Uddin, AVP and Manager of Bhaluka Branch, Mohammad Ali,

Manager of Joina Bazar Branch, Md Siraj Matbar, Moshiur Rahman Noyech and Alhajj Abdul Baten Sarker businessman of the local area attended the function.