The state-owned Rupali Bank Ltd will introduce automated banking services at its 492 branches across the country within this year.

Online service at 128 special branches will also be launched during this time.

The decision came at the ‘Annual Business Conference 2011’ of the bank at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the city yesterday.

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office M Abdul Karim attended the function as chief guest while Ahmed Al-Kabir, chairman of board of directors of the bank, was present as special guest.

Farid Uddin, managing director, heads of all zonal offices and high officials of the bank were also present at the function.

‘Now Bangladesh is enlisted with 11 emerging economic countries of the world and to make it a middle income country by 2021, we will have to attract foreign investments,” Abdul Karim said, adding that ‘banks may work as mediator in this regard.’

Emphasising investment in public private partnership (PPP) projects, he said it would increase the bank’s profit range.

He called upon the bank authority to organise more training for its employees to make them prudent in banking operation.

Karim also urged them to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and introduce e-banking service for the clients to reduce operation cost of the bank.

Farid Uddin said the bank is introducing Eldorado Remittance System at its 128 branches to facilitate remittance flow through the bank.

“Manpower shortage was the main problem to cop with the situation and we already recruited a good number of senior officers and more officers will be recruited soon,” he said, adding that the bank was providing training on SME banking and foreign exchange apart form general trainings.

Regarding bank’s CSR activity, Farid Uddin said Rupali Bank usually extend its helping hands towards the affected people in natural disasters.

“To create self-employment we offered bank accounts just for Tk 50 for young people and Tk 10 for farmers,” he added.

The bank also organised ‘Prime Customers’ Night’ and provided certificates among some of its elite clients.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/22 Jan 2011