Modernisation spurs business of Rupali Bank

FE Report
The Rupali Bank Ltd has taken an initiative to increase the number of its foreign currency exchange booths especially in the country's airports in order to facilitate the remittance inflow, officials said.
They said the move will help the bank increase its remittance collection and make the banking services to the expatriates easier.
The bank has already set up such a booth at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and establishment of the same type of booths at the Chittagong and Sylhet airports is under process.
The Rupali Bank also set up 38 normal ATM (automated teller machine) booths in different areas of the country and fixed its target to establish 50 more ATM booths within this year.
To provide modern banking services to its customers, the bank has also launched online banking activities at its 131 branches in the country.
To strengthen its management and conduct the banking activities properly, the bank is recruiting efficient manpower. In this connection, it formulated a Performance Based Promotion Policy, the officials said.
From 1980 until 2011, no new branch was opened; rather the number of branches was reduced by merger. In the year 2011, some 11 branches were opened, increasing the span of the bank's services to the clientele.  
The number of corporate branches including the local offices was increased from 13 to 55 for providing better services to the corporate customers.
In 2012, three branches of the bank were opened while the number of new branches was 22 in 2013 and 4 until March of this year, with the total number of the bank's branches standing at 532.
Analysing the bank's performance in the last three years, its officials further said the bank is moving forward with measures including its modernisation, remittance increase and online banking.
As per statistics, the Rupali Bank's total deposit increased from about Tk 91.12 billion in 2010 to Tk 107.23 billion in 2011, recording a 17.68 per cent growth. The amount of the deposit was about Tk 136.60 billion in 2012 and it rose to Tk 177.95 billion in 2013, it showed.
The bank's loan and advance in 2010 was Tk 66.05 billion; and it increased to Tk 76.52 billion in 2011, registering a 15.86 per cent growth. The amount of bank's loan and advance in 2012 was Tk 90.54 billion while it stood at Tk 107.42 billion in 2013.
The Rupali Bank distributed SME (small and medium enterprise) loan worth Tk 2.75 billion among 2,287 customers in 2011. The bank also distributed agriculture loan of Tk 441 million to assist alleviating poverty in the rural areas and increasing the national production.
In 2010, the bank's classified loan (CL) was worth Tk 7.90 billion (11.96 per cent). The CL declined to Tk 3.11 billion in 2011. However, in 2012, it was Tk 22.63 billion.
The foreign remittance of the bank increased by 6.50 per cent to Tk 21.14 billion in 2011 compared to that of the year 2010. To increase the foreign remittance, the bank in 2011 signed Drawing Arrangement with four exchange companies of United Arab Emirates (UAE); and currently, the number of its exchange companies and correspondent banks is 26 and 182 respectively.
In 2012, the bank received remittance worth Tk 24.76 billion, which was Tk 24.28 billion as of December 2013.
The bank's operating profit in 2010 was Tk 2.45 billion, which was Tk 3.60 billion in 2011, recording a 47.17 per cent growth. The operating profit was Tk 3.70 billion in 2012.