Collaboration among the stakeholders, including regulators, financial institutions, telecom operators and customers is the key to ensuring digital financial inclusion in the country, speakers said at a programme on Saturday.
They also said financial institutions, while introducing suitable products, should focus more on rural unbanked population, especially women, for better financial inclusion in the country.
The observations came at the 'Financial Inclusion Summit-2019', organised by University of Liberal Arts (ULAB) at a hotel in Dhaka city's Gulshan.
Planning Minister MA Mannan addressed the inaugural session of the day-long event as the chief guest, while special adviser to the ULAB board of trustees professor Imran Rahman delivered the welcome speech.
Fern Software managing director Debbie Watkins presented the keynote paper, while Innovations for Poverty Actions (IPA) director (financial inclusion) Rebecca Rouse and bkash CEO Kamal Quadir delivered the special guests' speech.
Following the inaugural session, a panel discussion was held on 'Innovations and Product Development for the Last-Mile Customers' where discussants talked about future challenges of financial institutions.
Bank Asia president and managing director Md Arfan Ali, bkash CEO Mr Quadir, Green Delta Insurance Company Ltd managing director and CEO Farzana Chowdhury, MicroSave associate director (inclusive finance and banking) Bhavana Srivastava, Swisscontact Bangladesh country director Anirban Bhowmick addressed the panel discussion moderated by Innovation Consulting Ltd CEO Imran Sadruddin.
The second panel discussion will be held later in the day on 'Role of Regulators in Enabling Financial Inclusion'.
The Financial Express is the media partner of the event.
