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Malaysia-based RHB Bank Bhd. reportedly hopes to add 200,000 debit card customers in Malaysia over the next year. The bank hopes to lure the customers through two recently launched MasterCard-branded debit cards, according to Malaysian news service Bernama. Bank officials did not return calls from CardLine Global. At least one analyst wondered if the bank's goal is realistic. Toon Van Galen, a partner at Kuala Lumpur-based research firm Ratera & Van Galen Sdn. Bhd., tells CardLine Global that results of consumer surveys his firm has conducted suggest the bank has yet to earn "a strong image as an overall consumer bank," a perception that could slow efforts to secure new customers. Worsening economic conditions in Malaysia might lead more consumers with dwindling cash in their accounts to use credit cards instead of debit cards, he adds.
