MCB group chairman Mian Mohammad Mansha made the announcement during the official launch of the bank’s first wholesale branch in Dubai.
The Gulf News quoted Mansha as saying that the expansion was aimed at further strengthening trade flows between the UAE and Pakistan.
MCB president Imran Maqbool was quoted by the Daily Times as saying: "On the International front, we have a solid business strategy, long term commitment and a positive future outlook. We would like to capitalise on our balance sheet strength, our strategic alliance with Maybank (covering ASEAN countries) and our presence in Sri Lanka to bring scale and diversity to service growing trade/remittance business with the UAE.
"We are exploring business opportunities in Tanzania, Afghanistan, China and other regional economies to successfully navigate international expansion."
The bank is slated to offer services for business accounts, mutual funds, stock market and life insurance.
MCB that has around 1244 branches across Pakistan also operates seven branches in Sri Lanka, one in Bahrain and one in Azerbaijan. It had also been involved in a strategic foreign partnership with Malaysia’s May bank since 2008.
