BANQUE Populaire du Rwanda (BPR), the country’s leading lender by branch network, has posted a surge in net earnings for the financial year 2011. BPR’s financial results, which were released on Thursday, indicate that the lender recorded an increase in net profit of Rwf1.6 billion last year up from Rwf1.2 billion.BPR’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Herman Klaassen told Business Times in an exclusive interview that the achievement is due to growth in clientele base.  "The bank managed to increase its loan book and the heavy investment made in automating all the branches on the same network allowed easy access to our financial services,” Klaassen explained.Klaassen said BPR managed to automate 150 more branches up from 40, bringing the total automated branches to all 190 branches.He disclosed that the bank is set to launch agency banking by the end of next month. It is the fourth lender to announce the launch of the service after KCB Rwanda, Equity Bank Rwanda and Bank of Kigali.The platform is carried out through selected retail outlets rather than a branch teller to conduct basic transactions for clients such as making of deposits, withdrawals and transfers of funds.Klaassen said the platform would prop up Points of Sale and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).Industry experts believe the platform would fundamentally change the practice of banking in the country."The service is similar to what other lenders will be offering; however, it will come in support of the "IZI cash” product and the 90 ATMs across the country,” the CEO explained.The lender targets 130 ATMs across the country by the end of the year.BPR managed to reduce its nonperforming loans by two percentage points to 7 per cent in line with the central bank’s maximum requirement.