Eastern Bank of Bangladesh has a special focus for women and their empowerment through dedicated efforts. EBL Women Banking is the medium in achieving this:
Eastern Bank of Bangladesh claims it is a game changer in the country’s financial services sector, especially in empowering women. It is deriving its success through a continuous effort to innovate products and services, and through its commitment to offer service excellence and passion for performance.
The bank has a special focus on women entrepreneurs and fulfilment of their ambitions. The bank emphasizes UN’s theme of International Women’s Day, 2023 is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’ and believes that financial institutions cannot afford to choose a different path as almost 51% of population in the country comprises women.
The bank is catering to the needs of women through a dedicated women banking unit, EBL Women Banking. It is persistently taking up proactive efforts to support female entrepreneurs and women at large, by building social awareness, skill development and capacity building, access to financial products and services, professional and personal wellbeing.
ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCE
“We have been operating with the vision to promote financial inclusion and economic empowerment of women by enhancing bankability and access to finance in underbanked and unbanked communities,” says M. Khorshed Anowar, DMD & Head of Retail & SME Banking, at the bank. He adds that the bank’s mission comprises offering a one-of-a-kind banking experience to women customers through 360 tailored solutions to meet their banking and financial necessities. In doing this, it is also offering a wide range of non-financial propositions to suit the women’s business and lifestyle needs, says he.
EBL Women Banking is focused on business management fundamentals, basic IT and digital skill orientation, digital media and marketing adoption, mental health and well-being, parenting, personal finance and access to finance based on regular product promotion. It offers online trainings on diverse topics and organizes campaigns focusing on business documentation, taxation, amplified online interaction and accrued new subscribers, followers and business leads.
COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM
Khorshed says EBL Women Banking recently extended its training facilities through Joyee – Women Entrepreneur Development Program, jointly organized by the bank and Prerona Foundation, an organization working to promote economic inclusion of marginalized communities, women empowerment and youth development through skills enhancement in Bangladesh. The program has an effective roadmap to create impact through building entrepreneurial abilities of growth-stage women entrepreneurs and enhance their creditworthiness and become a successful, scalable and sustainable venture. The 6-month-long training program aims to provide extensive training to growth-stage women entrepreneurs on financial literacy and business management.
DIGITAL BUSINESS COACH
EBL Women Banking provides a Digital Business Coach for aspiring women entrepreneurs. A first in Bangladesh initiative, it is an 18-part 2-hour video series not just for women who are thinking about building their own business but for any working or aspiring women entrepreneur who would like to build a better future, work to promote economic inclusion of marginalised communities, women empowerment and youth development through skills enhancement.
EBL Women Banking had a memorable year of activity in 2022 by launching a wide range of special services with exclusive privileges to ensure a total customer satisfaction. Some of the offerings included serviced co-working space, designer furniture, business & accounting solutions for SMEs, digital legal service platform, luxury clothing, specialized tourism services, vehicle management solutions, high-end cosmetics, digital agency services, mental health and well-being etc.
The bank had signed an agreement with the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Bangladesh to help women entrepreneurs of the country by providing support for their development, enhancement of bankability, financial inclusion and socio-economic advancement through a collaborative approach. The Association’s members can avail products and services provided under EBL Women Banking.
“Empowerment cannot roam as a choice of women anymore rather it should be an all-out call for a balanced society, a propeller for a tomorrow’s invincible Bangladesh,” concludes M. Khorshed Anowar.
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