Abrar A Anwar, managing director and head of origination and client coverage of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, poses with the FinanceAsia Country Award 2012 for the best foreign bank in Bangladesh at Four Seasons Hotel in Macau recently.

Standard Chartered Bank has recently been named the “Best Foreign Commercial Bank in Bangladesh 2012” by FianaceAsia, a financial publication in the region.

The Bank received the award as part of FinanceAsia 2012 Country Awards for Achievement, the Bank said in a statement yesterday.

The award was handed over to Abrar A Anwar, managing director and head of origination and client coverage of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, at a grand gala dinner programme at Four Seasons Hotel in Macau on August 24.

“We are delighted to receive this award for the fourth consecutive year, which is a testimony of our commitment to serve our clients in this market consistently over so many years and we are proud to be able to make positive contributions in Bangladesh," said Anwar.

"We are thankful to all our clients and colleagues of the Bank for their support in getting this prestigious award once again.”

"We are excited with this win, and we're excited by the future for Standard Chartered Bank in Bangladesh," said Jim McCabe, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh.

"A presence in Bangladesh that spans over a century means that we are part of the country's heritage."

Starting from opening the first letter of credit in sovereign Bangladesh immediately after independence, Standard Chartered has been a partner in progress for the nation, McCabe said.

"The award highlights our success story and is a testament to our strong performance in the country and continued commitment to this market. The award reiterates that we are 'Here for good' in Bangladesh."

Standard Chartered Bank has 28 branches and booths, 90 ATMs and 16 financial kiosks, employing over 1,600 people in Bangladesh, he said.

"We are the only foreign bank in the country with presence in six cities: Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Bogra and Narayanganj."

Besides winning the same award in 2009, 2010 and in 2011, Standard Chartered Bangladesh also received the “Best Retail Bank in Bangladesh” award in 2011 from The Asian Banker and “Best Bank in Bangladesh” at the Banker Awards 2010.

FinanceAsia Country Awards for achievement celebrates excellence among the region's financial services firms. The winners of the country awards were chosen from the fields of local and international banking, investment banking, and broking.

Based in Hong Kong and established in 1996, FinanceAsia is a financial journal in Asia and the Pacific with additional bureaus in Singapore and Sydney.

News: Daily Star/Bangladesh/30-Aug-12