Biratnagar, May 28:

Purbanchal Grameen Bikash Bank (PGBB) has launched its banking service — after 14 years of its establishment — from today.

Manish Kumar Agarwal, chairman of the bank inaugurated the banking office at Biratnagar here today.

On the occasion, chairman Agarwal said that the bank aims at providing maximum services to the customers with utmost dedication.

Out of five Grameen Bikash banks in the country, the PGBB has become the first one to start its banking service.

The bank will also serve its customers from its branch offices at Birtamod, Itahari and Lahan from July 17.

“The service is started as per the objective to collect maximum deposits and to increase the investment of the bank,” said Shyam Dev Yogi, the executive director of PGBB adding that the bank also intends to introduce special savings account and loan programmes and to expand such programmes in its branch offices in urban areas.

The bank will also change its name in future to make it more market-oriented, and commercial. The new name of the PGBB will be Purbanchal Grameen Bikash Bank Ltd.

The office of the company registrar has already approved the new name on April 13.

The PGBB’s branch offices would be established in Ilam and Dhankuta within a year.

The bank, which has been facilitating 52,000 poor families, has a total of 44 offices.