Kathmandu. Dinesh Thakali has been unanimously elected as the President of Development Bankers Association Nepal (DBN). The 21st annual general meeting of the association held on Friday elected Thakali as its president for the next two years.
Thakali, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Kamana Seva Bikas Bank, was earlier the Acting President of the Association. The general meeting chaired by him was attended by the chief executive officers of member development banks affiliated to the association.
The general meeting also elected a new nine-member working committee under the chairmanship of Thakali. Madhav Prasad Upadhyay, Chief Executive Officer of Garima Development Bank, Kapil Dhakal, Chief Executive Officer of Jyoti Development Bank, and Dipesh Lamsal, Chief Executive Officer of Mahalakshmi Development Bank, were elected as the vice-chairman of the committee.
Similarly, Taraman Manandhar, Chief Executive Officer of Muktinath Development Bank, Suman Acharya, Chief Executive Officer of Lumbini Development Bank, Robin Sijapati, Chief Executive Officer of Sangrila Development Bank, Hari Bahadur Budhathoki, Chief Executive Officer of Green Development Bank and Anant Kumar Chapagai, Chief Executive Officer of Miteri Development Bank have been selected as members.
The General Assembly has discussed and approved the annual financial statement for the financial year 2082/83 along with the auditor’s report. In addition, the proposal regarding appointment of auditors and determination of remuneration for the financial year 2083/84 has also been approved.
The newly elected president Thakali has expressed his commitment to continue the initiatives and programs carried out by the association and work effectively on the contemporary issues of the development banking sector. He said that he would give priority to good governance, risk management, capacity building of technology and human resources, digital transformation, credit quality and recovery improvement. He has also emphasized the exchange of knowledge and best practices among the member banks.
Currently, there are 17 development banks operating in Nepal. Eight of them are national level and nine are regional level. By the end of June 2083, this bank has been providing banking services to about 8 million customers through 1,112 branches and 336 ATMs.
For the common interest of development banks and the overall development of the banking sector, the association has been coordinating and cooperating with regulatory bodies including Nepal Rastra Bank. The association has been conducting various initiatives and programs for cooperation, knowledge exchange and solving common problems among the member banks.