Brief Overview of Organization
Established in 1983, City Bank PLC is one of the first generation private commercial banks in Bangladesh. It has been contributing to the sustainable growth of the economy of Bangladesh through its lending, investment, and advisory services. The Bank has been rated as one of the top 10 sustainable banks in Bangladesh by Bangladesh Bank, which is the central bank in Bangladesh, in the Sustainability Rating 2020.The bank’s rigorous environment & social risk management procedures encompass the regulatory guidelines of Bangladesh and the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of the World Bank Group, to ensure environmental soundness and social compliance of its portfolio. In acknowledgement, City Bank PLC has been in dignified partnership with international organizations like IFC, ADB, FMO, GCPF, CDC and many more. With IFC holding a 5% stake in City Bank PLC, it has presently expanded to 132 branches and 12 sub-branches, and 994 agent banking outlets. City Bank PLC has four subsidiaries: City Brokerage Ltd., City Bank Capital Resources Ltd. CBL Money Transfer, Malaysia, and City Hong Kong Ltd. City Bank PLC has an Islamic banking wing: City Islamic. The Bank currently stands as the number one issuer and distributor of credit cards in Bangladesh.
To achieve the objectives agreed in the Paris Agreement, alongside the government of Bangladesh, City Bank PLC is in the process of heading towards net-zero. The Bank continues to align its work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are most relevant to its business operations. City Bank PLC focuses on goals that can make the biggest difference to the environment and society, with an approach to sustainability being guided by its deep sense of purpose, which is to create value for the long-term by managing its business in a balanced and responsible way. The bank incorporates responsible financing in its lending practices, support its customers’ transition towards more sustainable low-carbon business models and improve customers’ Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments. City Bank PLC conducts its business in a fair and responsible manner. This includes advancing financial inclusion, taking a proactive stance to protect their customers’ information, and preventing financial crime. The bank provides an inclusive and empowered work environment, manage its direct environmental footprint. City Bank PLC also pays its fair share of taxes and make socio-economic contributions to the communities where it operates.
Bangladesh is a country where women comprise more than 30% of the labour force and hence, in order to stimulate female entrepreneurship and create more mainstream employment opportunities, the Bank found it imperative to hone entrepreneurship skills among women and give them access to basic financial schemes. City Bank PLC partnered with the prestigious North South University (NSU) in Bangladesh to promote women entrepreneurship and empowerment through the City Alo Certification Program, a platform that aims to offer both technical know-how as well as relevant soft skills for launching, managing, and promoting their business.
The Bank’s SME Small Business has taken rapid strides in expanding its customer base with pristine book quality. Global development bodies like WorldFish, USAID, and others recognized the impact City Bank PLC has created and associating with the Bank to further channel subsidized credit to target customers.
City Bank PLC has set its plans of differentiating itself through digitalization and data analytics to better understand and serve customers. The bank’s state-of the art digital banking services City Touch, ‘Ekhoni instant account opening’ app, smart IVR call centre etc. helped it to gain the global attention. These services bring together all the conveniences of branch banking to the screen of internet-enabled devices. City Bank PLC introduced Digital Nano Loan, a first of its kind in Bangladesh, especially for the unbanked population. This enables users to request and receive loans instantly through bKash app. Customers can avail this loan through automated and digital credit assessment and thus circumvent the waste of paper and the hassle of the traditional borrowing process. This initiative is a unique major milestone that prioritizes both the Government’s financial inclusion vision as well as the Digital Bangladesh ambition.