This was stated by BoB's chairman and managing director, K Kannan, on Monday while launching `BoBCard Gold'-- a premium offering -- in association with Visa International.

"The time has now come for BoB Card's to go public...it may happen sometime down the line," Kannan said, adding that BoB is also planning to issue credit cards at its branches in Mauritius.

BoB Cards was set up three years ago, and since then has seen its turnover increase by 165 per cent -- from Rs 319 crore to Rs 844 crore. The company, one of the few to issue international cards, has 1,250 electronic data capturing terminals in the country, and is a leading player in the card acquiring business.

BoBCard Gold, launched on Monday, is targeted at the higher end of the card segment. Eligibility rules stipulate a gross annual income of Rs 2 lakh for the salaried and Rs 1.5 lakh for professional and the self-employed.

Cardholders will have the benefit of a spend limit of Rs 1 lakh, cash advance facility of Rs 25,000 per month, emergency medical entitlement of Rs 15,000, and personal insurance cover of Rs 15 lakh for the cardholder with Rs 2 lakh for the spouse. Other features include free access to airport business centres in the metros and free memberships to International Business Travellers Club.

Speaking on the occasion of the BoBCard Gold launch, Visa International's country manager (south-Asia), Chandra Agnihotri, said: "Visa is committed to supporting BoB and BoBCard Ltd...we will continue to offer new, convenient and safe payment products and services in the country."

For the year ended December 1997, Visa card sales stood at Rs 2,535 crore. It has 23 member banks operating on its network servicing 10 lakh card holders across 1,05,000 merchant outlets.

Meanwhile, BoB also is reviewing its international operations. Kannan said that he had met Bank of England's officials and taken up the matter with consultants Delloite & Touche.

"The coming of the euro and and changes in the global financial markets has made it inevitable for BoB to take a fresh look at the way it conducts business overseas...till date BoB has been operating internationally, in terms of products and services, very much the way it does domestically. This has to change with the times," Kannan said.

The BoB CEO, during his visit to the United Kingdom last week, also made a presentation to international institutional investors on the bank's performance and business plans.