Sonali maps out expansion plan

The country's largest state-owned commercial bank, Sonali Bank, is planning to bring agent banking along with various digital services very soon to expand its network further, its managing director and chief executive officer said Thursday.

The bank's CEO Ataur Rahman Prodhan said the bank has got necessary approval from the central bank for starting agent banking.

Now we are ready to start agent banking from next month," Mr Prodhan said while speaking at a press briefing at its head office in the city.

The briefing was organized on the occasion of CEO's one year in Sonali Bank.

Ataur Rahman Prodhan said the pandemic Covid-19 brought both negative and positive changes in the state-owned Sonali Bank.

"The bank couldn't maintain social distancing much due to its lack of digitalization, so more than 1100 bank staff were infected by the virus and 11 died," he said.

On the other hand, he said the bank has made some development in terms of digitization. He said Sonali Bank is ready to be a cashless bank by next one year.

The bank has made much progress in five years in terms of use of digital technology during Covid-19," he said.

He said non-performing loans in the bank decreased 13.58 per cent in the last one year.

Mr Prodhan also claimed that the new NPL did not increase in the bank in last one year.

Ataur Rahman Prodhan was appointed CEO and managing director of Sonali Bank on this day last year.

Prior to this appointment, he worked as the managing director and CEO of Rupali Bank. Before working at Rupali Bank, he also worked as the managing director of Probashi Kallyan Bank, the release also said.

He started his career as a financial analyst at Sonali Bank in 1984. He also worked as the chief executive of Sonali Bank UK during his service at Sonali Bank, said the release.

He obtained his graduation and post-graduation degrees in management from Dhaka University. He also obtained DAIBB degree.

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