State-run Janata Bank will launch a mobile app to offer digital banking services through smartphones during the ‘new normal’ created by the coronavirus pandemic.

 “The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the economy and ways to deliver banking services. So we are planning to launch the mobile app to offer the best internet banking services to our clients,” Janata Bank Managing Director Abdus Salam Azad said.
“There is no alternative to technology adaptation to cope with the changed reality in the banking sector,” he added.

Seasoned banker Abdus Salam Azad was appointed as chief executive and managing director of Janata in December 2017.

And Azad took the charge at a critical time when the bank was counting losses. But under his leadership, the bank made an operational profit of Tk 9.78 billion in 2018 and Tk 7 billion in 2019.

Mentioning that Janata Bank as a major partner of the government in the implementation of Digital Bangladesh programme, Abdus Salam Azad said the management has emphasized leveraging technology to support financial inclusion.

“We are very hopeful to make significant progress in all indicators of the bank by the end of 2020. The economy will revive gradually. I am very aware of the challenges and possibilities of Janata Bank. I took the challenge to lead the bank to the next level using my 37 years of experience in the banking sector. Janata Bank is moving forward,” said Abdus Salam Azad.

When the coronavirus hit the world and put the global economy in a halt, Janata Bank Managing Director Abdus Salam Azad attended office fulltime and kept the bank running by guiding staff and supervising field activities.
He has stood beside the corona-affected bankers and provided technical support to them alongside giving motivation. He has taken adequate health and safety measures to ensure the safety of staff and clients.

He said Janata Bank is driven by the collective decision of governing board and the chief executive makes decisions by analyzing the recommendations of different committees.  There are committees on risk management, audit and executives to support to management to make big decisions for banks, especially on large-scale credit.

Established in 1972, Janata Bank is the second-largest state-owned commercial bank in Bangladesh. It has 912 branches across the country. The bank also operates four offshore branches.