Written by The Banking Post
BRAC Bank is stepping up efforts to expand financial inclusion by blending advanced technology with institutional trust, targeting underserved segments across Bangladesh’s banking landscape.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Tareq Refat Ullah Khan said the bank’s strategy centres on widening access to finance through school banking, agent banking and deeper outreach to unbanked rural communities, particularly women. The goal, he said, is to ensure that access to finance is determined by potential, not privilege.
A key priority is breaking traditional credit barriers. The bank plans to use consent-based data analytics to turn customers’ digital transaction behaviour into a reputation score, enabling instant, collateral-free micro-loans through its Astha app for people long excluded from formal credit.
Khan said the bank was founded to serve the “missing middle” of the economy—small entrepreneurs overlooked by conventional banking despite their ambition and resilience. Since inception, financial inclusion has been central to the bank’s mission, with long-term success tied to the economic progress of the wider population.
Bringing the unbanked into the formal system, he said, goes beyond opening accounts by unlocking access to capital, opportunity and sustainable growth.
Student banking is another cornerstone. Through its Agami Student Banking platform, the bank offers end-to-end financial services from school through higher education, including savings, education loans and credit facilities. Early exposure to digital banking and transaction history, Khan said, helps young people access credit and pursue careers or entrepreneurship after graduation.
BRAC Bank now holds the leading market share in student file services, recording 86 per cent year-on-year growth, as it finances education at home and abroad.
For women, the bank’s dedicated TARA segment has brought more than 350,000 customers into the formal system. By using e-KYC, it has removed physical and procedural hurdles, onboarding 95 per cent of its 61,000 new female customers digitally in 2025. To date, Tk 16 billion has been disbursed to women-led enterprises under a purpose-driven lending approach.
Digital transformation underpins the inclusion drive. Through the Astha app, customers can open accounts, transfer funds and manage finances fully online. The platform now serves over 1.2 million users, processing monthly transactions exceeding Tk 200 billion.
SME financing remains the backbone of the bank’s inclusion agenda. With more than 800,000 SME customers, an outstanding portfolio of Tk 360 billion and 446 SME unit offices nationwide, the bank maintains a strong grassroots presence.
Looking ahead, Khan said the next phase will focus on embedded finance—integrating services such as micro-insurance and micro-investments into everyday economic activity through digital platforms—aimed at building a more inclusive, resilient and future-ready financial ecosystem.
