State-owned Rupali Bank Ltd arranged a conference for the heads of its corporate branches yesterday.

Anamul Haque, general manager of the bank, presided over the conference.

The conference discussed on various issues related to banking and gave necessary guidelines to the participants.

Ahmed Al-Kabir, chairman, M Farid Uddin, managing director and other high officials of the bank, were also present at the function.

While addressing the function, Ahmed Al-Kabir said they will conduct another three-month campaign programme to increase the image of the bank. He expected all employees will participate in the programme.

He also urged all to perform their duties sincerely and inform the higher authority about the obstacles in discharging professional activities.

He hoped that all of the bank’s branches will come under online systems within the next two or three months.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/11 Feb 2011

Banks will be come under e-procurement system by the next week to ensure transparency in the public purchase process.

In this regard, a meeting was held between Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) and 16 banks on Thursday at NEC-I conference room to finalise their incorporation in e-procurement system.

Planning minister AK Khandker, IMED secretary Habib Ullah Majumder, CPTU director general Amulya Kumar Debnath, executives of 16 banks attended the meeting.

Habib Ullah Majumder told reporters after the meeting that the government was expected to sign agreements with the 16 banks in next week to bring them under the system.

The IMED secretary said the government will initially introduce the system in four big government agencies, and in all the public sector organisations in phases.

He said necessary equipments have already been provided to the government agencies for smooth functioning of the system.

The IMED secretary informed that the banks would collect bid security, tender fee and performance guarantee from the contractors through the system.

"We will provide training to the bank officials to give them a clear idea about their responsibilities," Majumder said.

The Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU)) has been implementing the e-procurement with the help of World Bank.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/11 Feb 2011

Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd arranged a daylong branch managers’ conference for Dhaka region at its head office in the city recently.

Jb. Ekramul Hoque, managing director of the bank, presided over the conference, said a press release.

Managers from 37 branches of the bank participated in the conference.

The conference discussed various issues regarding the overall performance of the bank, the news release said.

Bank’s Deputy Managing Directors Jb. Ihsanul Aziz and Jb. Md Rafiqul Islam, Senior Executive Vice President Jb. Khondoker Nayeemul Kabir, Company Secretary Jb. Md Mofazzal Hossain and other officials of the bank were present among others on that occasion.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/11 Feb 201

MM Haikal Hashmi has joined Trust Bank as deputy managing director, the bank said in a statement yesterday.

Prior to the appoin-tment, he was the senior executive vice president and head of credit risk management of Dhaka Bank. Hashmi also served Credit Agricole Indosuez, ANZ Grindlays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, American Express Bank and Mashreq Bank in Dubai in his career of 26 years.

He is a postgraduate of management from Dhaka University and a master in banking and finance from University Bocconi, Milan, Italy.

The certified credit analyst has also worked with AB Bank and IFIC Bank.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/10 Feb 2011.

Eastern Bank Ltd recently signed an agreement with Germany-based bank Commerzbank AG, to work together in online foreign exchange trading. The deal will add significant value to EBL and its customers to importers, exporters, corporate, SMEs and consumer customers having foreign exchange transactions, said a press release. M. Fakhrul Alam, deputy managing director, Sidhartha Roy, acting head of Treasury, Md Obaidul Islam, head of ID of EBL and Martin Hercules, chief representative, Patrick Thiel, relationship manager and Gabriele Kenter, vice president for electronic Foreign Exchange Trading of Commerzbank, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides at the head office of EBL in the city.

Ali Reza Iftekhar, managing director and CEO of EBL was also present at the signing ceremony. He said EBL has ventured into massive induction of technology in operation and expressed the hope the agreement for online trading with Commerz Bank will take the both parties one step ahead. Click and Trade Foreign Exchange Electornic Trading System is an advanced online trading platform with enhanced, accurate, fast and tight pricing demand. It will also ensure online access to international market and real time competitive FX rates as an efficient alternative channel having 150 currency pairs and covering all major currencies for Forex transactions, the statement added.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/9 Feb 2011.