M Ghaziul Haque, Chairman of the board of directors of EBL, presides over an AGM at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city Sunday

Eastern Bank Limited (EBL) has approved 20 percent cash dividend for its shareholders for the year that ended on 31st December 2012.

The approval was made at the bank’s 21st annual general meeting (AGM) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city Sunday, said a press release.

M Ghaziul Haque, Chairman of the board of directors of the bank, presided over the meeting.

Mir Nasir Hossain, AM Shaukat Ali, AQI Chowdhury, OBE, Meah Mohammed Abdur Rahim, Asif Mahmood, Ormaan Rafay Nizam and Gazi Md Shakhawat Hossain, Directors, Ali Reza Iftekhar, Managing Director and CEO, Safiar Rahman, SEVP and Company Secretary of the bank, and a large number of shareholders attended the meeting.

During the meeting, M Ghaziul Haque presented last year’s directors’ report and financial statements before the shareholders and replied to various queries of the shareholders.

He said, “Amid intense competition among the existing banks, EBL is able to maintain its growth both in terms of business volume and profitability.”

Total assets of the company last year stood at Tk 147,148 million, rising by 25.12 percent from the previous year.

EBL witnessed an impressive growth in its operating profit, rising by about 9.28 percent in 2012.

The company reported 2.20 percent profit before Tax to the tune of Tk 4,220 million and earnings per share (EPS) of Tk 3.72.