International Finance Inv- estment and Commerce (IFIC) Bank Limited held its Annual Managers’ Conference 2011 yesterday to formulate its strategic plan for the year.

“You have to devise a well planned strategy for better performance as the global banking sector has been in downturn and under the grip of recession,” IFIC Bank Chairman Salman F Rahman told the bank officials in Dhaka yesterday.

“We’ve to face another challenge stemming from the central bank’s contractionary monetary policy,” he said.

He also criticised the bank’s mediocre performance in recent years.

“Reputation of a bank depends largely on its manpower and the leadership. But, leadership doesn’t always come from the top,” he opined.

In his introductory speech, M Abdullah, managing director of IFIC Bank, said the banking sector has recently been gripped by liquidity crisis which has also shot up the call money rate to as much as 190 per cent.

“We gathered here to formulate a strategic plan for making an adjustment between the monetary policy and the market reality,” he told the branch managers from across the country.

The bank stood 12th among the private sector banks last year in terms of performance.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/25 Jan 2011

The Country has achieved the lion share of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for which it claimed the UN recognition, and it is on the track to achieve the rest by 2015, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said.

“No denying that country developed much in many sectors in last three decades. GDP growth target has been set at 6.7 percent amid global melt down and the present per capital income stands at US$ 751,” Atiur said.

He was addressing the 10th anniversary celebration of Volunteers Association of Bangladesh (VAB) at Agargaon’s LGED auditorium in the city on Saturday.

Bangladesh attained gender equality at the primary and secondary education. It is committed to enrolling all children in primary schools by 2011 and formulated an elaborate and combined education policy to reach the targets.

Mentioning some major gains in country’s education sector, BB Governor said that there are some challenges also at the secondary and its next level of education in the country.

The Governor also lauded VAB initiative of providing education to 40 thousand underprivileged people.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/24 Jan 2011

The Yearly Management Conference-2011 of The Premier Bank Limited was held a city hotel Westin in the city on Saturday.

Dr HBM Iqbal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank was present at the occasion as chief guest while vice chairman BH Haroon, MP and former AMD Md Mokhlesur Rahman was present as special guest, said a press release.

Niaz Habib, managing director of the bank presided over the conference. director’s Moin Iqbal, Shah Mohammad Nahyan Haroon, Md Imran Iqbal, Kazi Abdul Mazid, additional managing director Abu Haniff Khan, all branch managers along with all division heads were the key participants on the occasion.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/24 Jan 2011

The prize distribution ceremony of first Dutch-Bangla Bank-BAF Golf Tournament-2011 was held at Shaheen Golf and Country Club of Patenga in Chittagong recently.

Sponsored by Dutch-Bangla Bank, Shaheen Golf and Country Club organised the tournament, said a press release.

Air Marshal S M Ziaur Rahman, chief of air staff and the president of Shaheen Golf and Country Club, attended the function as the chief guest and handed over prizes among the winners.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/24 Jan 2011

Southeast Bank Limited signed a participatory agreement with Bangladesh Bank at the head office of the central bank to avail of refinancing facility for Small and Medium Enterprises Financing on Sunday. Mr. Mahbubul Alam, Managing Director of Southeast Bank Limited and Mr Sukamal Sinha Choudhury, General Manager, SME & Special Programs Department of BB signed the agreement on behalf of respective sides. Mr. Md. Harunur Rashid Chowdhury, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank presided over the meeting.

Through this agreement Southeast Bank will be able to avail refinancing facility from an ADB supported fund amounting USD 95.00 million equivalent to Tk 6.67 billion. Bangladesh Bank has been entrusted with the responsibility to administer the fund. The fund will help Southeast Bank to widen and expand its SME lending program in rural and semi urban areas at a subsidized rate.

Senior officials of SME and Special Programs Department of Bangladesh Bank attended the ceremony. From Southeast Bank Mr. Mohammed Gofran, Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Panu Ranjan Das, Vice President, Mr. M.M. Khaled Omar, Senior Assistant Vice President & Head of SME, Mr. Donald Rosette, Assistant Vice President and Head of R&D were also present.

Source: Financial Express/Bangladesh/24 Jan 2011