Bank Asia, a leading bank in the country’s banking sector, celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday on November 26, 2024. To this end, a grand event was organized at Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka, with the bank’s President and Managing Director, Sohail RK Hussain, Additional Managing Directors Shafiuzzaman and A. N. M. Mahfuz, Deputy Managing Directors Mohammad Ziaul Hasan Molla, S. M. Iqbal Hossain, Alamgir Hossain, Muhammad Mostofa Haikal Hashmi, S. M. Anisuzzaman, Arekul Arefin, and Mirza Azhar Ahmed in attendance. Senior departmental heads and the Chief Financial Officer were also present on the occasion.
Since its inception, Bank Asia has been at the forefront of introducing innovative banking services with its pioneering role in transforming the nation’s economic landscape. The bank launched Bangladesh’s first agent banking service in 2014 with the objective of ensuring the right of banking services to people nationwide, regardless of profession and background. This initiative has been crucial in making financial services accessible to remote areas and underprivileged communities. Agent banking has also been instrumental in advancing financial inclusion and contributing significantly to achieving Bangladesh’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at the ‘Meet the Press’ event, which was organized as part of the celebrations, the managing director of Bank Asia, Sohail RK Hussain, reflected on the bank’s journey and shared its future plans. He said, “For the past 25 years, Bank Asia has continuously opened new doors and unfolded new opportunities in the banking sector. From simplifying agriculture and SME loans to expediting government social safety allowance disbursement, pioneering the Income Sharing Ratio (ISR) model in Islamic banking, launching the Pioneer payment gateway, introducing agent banking and micro-merchant services, to implementing voice banking, the bank has embraced innovation to stay aligned with the evolving needs of its customers in the post-COVID era and set new benchmarks in banking services.”
Bank Asia is deeply committed to strengthening the country’s banking sector and the economic development of the people. Since its inception, the bank has continued its multifaceted corporate social responsibility efforts. Its key initiatives include providing scholarships to underprivileged meritorious students in rural areas, free eye surgeries for blind children from disadvantaged families, and establishing the Bank Asia-Maa Amiran Hospital.
Established on November 27, 1999, Bank Asia quickly became prominent among private commercial banks, earning its reputation for operational excellence and customer-focused services. Starting with corporate banking, the bank now boasts 135 branches, 15 Islamic windows, over 5,000 agent outlets, and supports more than 50,000 micro-merchants, ensuring seamless banking services across the country. Bank Asia Securities Limited also operates 12 branches, and the bank has two exchange houses in London and the United States.
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