BANK'S INSTANT SMS: Laxmi Bank now provides customers instant notification of account activity via SMS. The bank says this makes for more secure accounts, since account holders receive notification of debit or credit activity within seconds of a transaction, making it easier to detect fraud. Laxmi Bank's existing SMS banking service includes balance enquiry, exchange rates and details of the last six transactions.

CLEAN CHIURA: The KL Dugar Group has launched Gyan Chiura, processed using "HACCP system and hygiene auditing". The chiura will be a quality product at a competitive price, says KL Dugar.

STANDARD CHARTER MOVES: Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited has relocated its Kantipath branch to Lajimpat from 16 July. The Lajimpat branch has a large parking space and can be approached by two-way traffic. The bank is a subsidiary of the Standard Chartered Group, which owns 75 percent shares in the bank.