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Bank of Melbourne today officially unveiled Melba, a ‘travelling bank’ that delivers banking services to Victorians in the heart of local communities.

Melba operates as a fully functioning mobile branch that drives to metro and regional locations for disaster relief to provide cash withdrawals or financial advice when people need it most. Launched today on the iconic grounds of Melbourne’s favourite sporting arena the MCG, Melba can also visit local community festivals or sporting events to help Victorians with their next steps, wherever they are.

Her arrival comes as Bank of Melbourne continues to grow throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria, preparing to open the doors of its 86th branch on 12 May, in Bendigo.

Bank of Melbourne Chief Executive Scott Tanner said the opening of the Bendigo branch expands the bank’s physical footprint to include Victoria’s top five urban centres: Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton-Mooroopna.

“We are delighted to open our Bendigo branch to support the people and businesses in this vibrant regional centre. When Melba travelled to Bendigo over the Easter break, our people were overwhelmed by the warm welcome from locals, many of whom opened their first Bank of Melbourne account.”

Bank of Melbourne delivered a strong financial performance in the six months to 31 March 2014, underpinned by growth in new customers, branches, deposits and mortgages. The bank supported customers with new technology such as video conferencing, enabling them to ‘virtually’ access specialist advice. It is completing the rollout of free Wi-Fi in its branches, and has tripled its workforce, providing jobs to more than 1000 Victorians.

“As the only full-service bank focused solely on Victoria we are committed to investing in our state, providing jobs and getting even more involved in the local community,” said Mr Tanner.

The bank continues to support the events and organisations that matter to Victoria. It has extended its support of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival for a further two years and continues as Icon partner and official bank of the MCG. Contributing to Melbourne’s diverse arts and culture scene, it supported the National Gallery of Victoria’s Melbourne Now exhibition, which attracted a record 750,000 visitors. The Bank of Melbourne has contributed more than $500,000 to support grassroots community organisations through its Neighbourhood Fund and Local Project initiatives.

“Our strong growth and financial performance is good news for Victoria’s people and businesses,” Mr Tanner said. “I am proud of the way our people are personally getting involved in making a difference in their local communities through volunteering for a range of grassroots community causes such as the Melbourne City Mission’s ‘Sleep at the ‘G’.”