Pubali Bank aims to expand its online banking and introduce new products to meet growing demand and become more competitive.
The largest private bank is also set to launch its mobile banking service, Pubali Cash, in a couple of months to serve unbanked people.
The bank that has already automated its 425 branches is also working on introducing its first credit card next month.
“We are focusing on paperless banking in a bid to render faster services to clients,” said Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, managing director of the bank, adding the bank will recruit about 550 employees this year.  
Chowdhury spoke at the inauguration of a daylong workshop on ethical banking at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka yesterday, with around 70 officials of the bank's 19 branches located in Old Dhaka.  
Pubali plans to double the number of ATM booths to 200 this year and take the figure to 1,000 in next eight years to establish its own network across the country, said Safiul Alam Khan Chowdhury, deputy managing director of the bank.  
On mobile banking, he said Pubali has already completed all the procedures to launch the service. “We are waiting for appropriate time to begin the operation.”
Pubali Cash will provide mobile financial services similar to other operators. It includes cash in and out and payments to multiple recipients
Average daily transactions by mobile rose 117 percent year-on-year to Tk 263 crore in March, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
At last count in March, the country had more than 1.50 crore mobile banking subscribers, up 2.77 percent from the previous month.
The bank, which has so far employed nearly 7,500 people, aims to open eight new branches this year, the deputy managing director said. “We are planning to open more branches to serve more people with ethical banking.”   
Pubali Bank arranged the workshop for the officials of the bank's Dhaka South region to educate them on ethical banking, environmental risk management, green banking, anti-money laundering and foreign remittance.
“This region has 19 branches which are highly profitable due to huge business potential,” said M Shahnawaz Chowdhury, general manager and head of region of the bank.
At the end of June 2014, the bank's outstanding loans stood at Tk 13,398 crore, of which 6.09 percent came from Dhaka South zone, he said.
The bank's Dhaka South zone also contributes nearly 5 percent of bank's total deposits of around Tk 20,000 crore, said the region head.
Pubali Bank, which has now around 9 lakh active account holders, has recently reduced the interest rates on its commercial loans by 1.5 percentage points to 15 percent to encourage industrial expansion and economic development.
The bank has also introduced an SMS-based banking service to provide information to its customers round the clock.
The SMS service includes transaction notifications, loan sanctions and disbursements, L/C openings and payments, card activations/deactivations, monthly balance notifications, ATM transaction and internet banking access.
Meanwhile, the bank has also started recruiting physically challenged people. “From now on we will hire at least 2 such people each year as part of our corporate social responsibility” Chowdhury, the bank's DMD, said.  
Bangalee entrepreneurs established Pubali Bank in 1959 in the then East Pakistan. After independence in 1971, like others, the bank was taken over by the government. In the early 1980s, the bank was again handed over to the private sector.
Pubali Bank set a target to disburse Tk 254 crore in farm credit this fiscal year, as compared to Tk 225 crore a year ago.
The bank's operating profit rose to Tk 340 crore during January-June, up from Tk 323 crore compared to the same time last year, according to the DMD.
Non-performing loans of the bank have now come down to around 5 percent from 18.40 percent in 2004, he added.
MA Halim Chowdhury, additional managing director of the bank, also attended the event.