Sonali Bank expects Tk3,500 crore profit this year
Sonali Bank posted Tk2,175 crore profit in 2020 – the highest among state-owned banks
Sonali Bank, the largest state-owned bank in Bangladesh, expects a profit of Tk3,500 crore this year.
Ataur Rahman Prodhan, chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of the bank, stated this at the Khulna Divisional Conference 2021 – which he attended virtually as its chief guest on Saturday.
According to a Sonali Bank press release, it made the greatest profit among state-owned banks in the year when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The bank's profit in 2020 was Tk2,175 crore, while in the previous year it was 1,750 crore.
Ataur Rahman Prodhan said, "The bank will further enhance its progress by offering internet banking services by March 2021. The officers and employees of our bank have been working even during the Covid-19 pandemic. The industrial sector is being prioritised to keep the country's economy dynamic."
He also said agent banking activities will be started at the bank soon to bring marginalised people of the country under banking services.
The CEO of the bank said the government is working to implement various financial incentives packages announced, with the aim of reviving the country's economy, by giving top priority to the national interest.
The bank's officials at the programme said 13 out of 123 branches in Khulna region have been freed of unpaid debt.
Meanwhile, Ataur Rahman Prodhan said work is underway to formulate a policy to regularise the loans of jute and frozen shrimp sector in the Khulna region.
He said in order to achieve the target set for the current year, cottage, micro, small and medium enterprise (CMSME) loans have to be sanctioned and disbursed within the stipulated time under the incentives package announced by the government. The bank also has to collect classified loans, deposits, increase AD (advance-deposit) ratio, and collect foreign remittances.
Sonali Bank's Khulna Office General Manager (In-Charge) Rezaul Karim presided over the programme where the bank's Deputy Director Abdul Mannan, Chief Financial Officer Subhas Chandra Das, and Deputy General Manager Arshad Hossain as well as many others, were present.
All the executives of the principal office, regional offices and corporate branches of Sonali Bank in the Khulna region attended the event.