Launching of Business Finance for the Poor in Bangladesh (BFP-B) programme at the Westin Dhaka

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman “launching” the Business Finance for the Poor in Bangladesh (BFP-B) programme at the Westin Dhaka, on 8th February 2015. Seating from left to right Mr. S.K. Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor, Bangladesh Bank & BFP-B Project Leader, Mr. David Munro, BFP-B Team Leader, Dr. M. Aslam Alam, Secretary, Bank and Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, Ms. Sarah Cooke, DFID Bangladesh Country Representative, and Professor Thorsten Beck, Cass Business School, London.

Business Finance for the Poor in Bangladesh was formally launched at the Westin Hotel, Dhaka, February 8, 2015. Over two hundred guests from the banking, MFI, NGO and regulatory communities attended, in addition to representatives of mobile phone operators, consulting companies, and government agencies. The Chief Guest was Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman, and the Keynote Speaker was Professor Thorsten Beck from the Cass Business School, London. Other dignitaries in attendance included Special Guests Dr. M. Aslam Alam, Secretary, Bank and Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance and Ms Sarah Cooke, DFID Country Representative, and the Project Leader, Mr. SK Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank.

David Munro, BFP-B Team Leader, provided an overview of the project, followed by descriptions of component activities by component heads, Anwaruddin Chowdhury, Challenge Fund, Chris August, Credit Guarantee Fund, and Rashed Hassan, Policy Component. Ms Shahnila Azher, DFID Team Leader of the Growth and Private Sector Development Team, and representatives of Nathan Associates (London), Sarah Livingstone, Director, Financial Sector Practice, and Buddhika Samarasinghe, Deputy Managing Director, also addressed the gathering.

Following a buffet lunch, the afternoon session featured “clinics” for potential Challenge Fund applicants, for which there was a sizeable turnout.