An account can now be opened with any branch of Sonali Bank, the country's largest bank, at any time within minutes simply with the use of an app.

Initially, no hard copies of documents need to be submitted, all in the effort to maintain a maximum level of social distancing during the ongoing pandemic, said the state-run bank during the service's launching ceremony.

The mobile application, Sonali e-Sheba, was launched by State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday. The ceremony included a live demonstration on opening an online bank account.

Currently, a few crore smartphones are making use of the country's mobile network and this kind of service will make citizens' life easier, Palak said.

The app is an extension of the Bangladesh Bank's electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) system that aims to boost the country's financial inclusion cause.

Under the e-KYC, a service provider can open a customer account by filling up a digital form, taking a photograph on the spot and authenticating the customer's identification data instantly. A thumbprint serves as the digital signature.

The system also allows limited-scale transactions through agent banking networks and mobile financial services.

A nationwide pilot programme for e-KYC was completed with 18 banks and one mobile financial service provider. Data provided by the institutions showed that the e-KYC can save time.

Sonali Bank is the second lender to have introduced the service under the central bank's e-KYC guideline issued on January 9. Eastern Bank launched it on Sunday.

With this innovative service, Sonali Bank will also start working on digitalisation in all of their 12,022 outlets, said Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui, the state bank's chairman.

The bank is moving forward towards adopting online banking and an e-wallet, which will be launched within the next few weeks, he said.

"We have taken preparation for agent banking and will move on mobile financial service (MFS) within a short time as launching of e-KYC is the beginning," said Siddiqui, a former deputy governor of the central bank.

Previously, it would take a few days to open an account alongside visits to the associated bank branch. But now it will happen within a couple of minutes, he added.

After opening an account, the customer will get a PDF copy of the application form that had been filled up, said Md Ataur Rahman Prodhan, managing director and chief executive officer of the bank.

A visit to the selected bank branch will be required within the following three months for maintenance of the account, he added.