Speakers asked the newly recruited bankers to gain professional skills as it is inevitable for attaining success in the banking sector for overall socio economic development of the region.

They urged them to make their banking activities client-friendly so that they get total benefits of the banking service.

They were addressing the closing and certificate-giving session of a six-week long foundation training course styled “Skill and Attitude Development” for the newly recruited senior officers of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) at its training institute here on Monday afternoon.

RAKUB Chairman Prof Dr Shah Nawaz Ali addressed the session as the chief guest while Managing Director Mofazzal Hossain and Directors Saifuddin Ahmed, Prof Obayedur Rahman Pramanik and Prof Modon Mohan Dey and Deputy Managing Director Abu Hanif Khan spoke as special guests with principal of the institute Mozammel Haque in the chair.

The speakers highlighted the importance of the bank in agricultural development of the northwest Bangladesh and asked the officers to apply the knowledge acquired from the training in the professional field properly for boosting agricultural production in the region.

As the largest development partner in the agricultural sector of the northwest Bangladesh, RAKUB plays a vital role to earn economic emancipation and free the nation from poverty and hunger through boosting credit-flow to the potential agricultural fields, they added.

In this regard, they asked them to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty to brighten the image of the bank.

Main objective of the course was to improve skills and attitude alongside enhancing professional competence of the officers through disseminating ideas about operation, administration and other related matters of the bank.

Bangladesh Development Bank (BDBL), a state-owned commercial bank, has earned around Taka 250 crore as operational profit during the 2013 calendar year, which is Taka 147 crore more than 2012.

“There were many reasons especially introduction of this year’s commercial banking, foreign exchange and share market have helped us earn the profit,” Dr Zillur Rahman, Managing Director of the bank, told BSS on Tuesday.

Dr Rahman said the BDBL had only Taka 850 crore when it went into operation and now its paid up capital stood at Taka 1,150 crore.

He said the bank will introduce mobile banking soon aimed at reaching their services at the doorstep of the disadvantaged group.

“We’ve dispatched our mobile banking course to the Bangladesh Bank. We’ll sign an agreement with the agent banks this month,” he said.

The senior banker said, “We are hoping that we will be able to start out mobile banking by February.”

The BDBL, having Taka 3,000 crore as asset and liability of Taka 1,500 crore, now has 26 branches across the country, of which, three branches are in rural areas.

Mutual Trust Bank Limited (MTB) recently opened three branches.

The 90th branch was opened at Rajobi Plaza at Ashulia, the 91st branch at Wajib Tower at Kalurghat, Chittagong and the 92nd branch at Sikder Marketat Monipur Bazar in Gazipur.

Khokan Roy, renowned businessman, inaugurated MTB Ashulia Branch while AKM Jaglul Haque, Regional Director, BSCIC, Chittagong, inaugurated MTB Kalurghat Branch and Advocate Rina Pervin, inaugurated MTB Monipur Bazar Branch, said a press release.

The state-owned Sonali Bank Limited rewarded two export-oriented enterprises on Tuesday for achieving National Export Trophy for the fiscal 2010-11.

The ceremony was held at Foreign Exchange Corporate Branch of the bank, said a press release.

Managing Director and CEO (acting) of Sonali Bank Limited, Khondokar Md. Iqbal handed over crests to the owners of M/s Monsur General Trading and M/s Rajdhani Enterpise for achieving National Export Trophy and Fashion Group as the biggest exporter of the branch.

Among others, Deputy Managing Director Md. Dilwar Hossain Bhuiyan, General Managers of Head Office and General Manager’s Office, Dhaka and high officials of the bank were present.

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited opened its 136th branch at Dumni at Khilkhet in the city on Monday.

KS Tabrez, Managing Director, Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited, inaugurated the branch as chief guest, said a press release.

Dutch-Bangla Bank provides a wide range of banking products and financial services including card services to its retail and corporate customers.

The new branch will provide truly online banking facilities to the clients.

A total number of the ATM and Fast Track networks of the bank stands at 2,454 and 263 respectively all over Bangladesh.

While speaking KS Tabrez said DBBL is a market leader in retail customer based deposit accounts which stands at 3.21 million now.

He called upon local people and business community to avail the best services and truly online banking facilities by maintaining a bank account with DBBL.

Senior officials of the bank and local elites, businessmen, industrialists and other invited guests also attended.

DBBL has introduced mobile banking services in 2011 for the first time in Bangladesh to bring huge number of un-banked population of the country, particularly, in rural areas into banking channel.