A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday among Local Government Division(LGD), and UNDP supported Access to Information (A2I) Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office and Trust Bank Limited for introducing mobile banking to reach banking services to the rural people.

National Project Director of the A2I Programme Md Nazrul Islam Khan, Managing Director of Trust Bank Limited Shah Alam Sarwar and deputy secretary of LGD Shamima Nargis signed the MoU on the behalf of their respective organizations at the Prime Minister’s Officer.

Officials of the A2I Programme and other concerned organizations were present at the signing ceremony.

Nazrul Islam said the union information service centers (UISCs) have been set up in 4501 Union Parishads across the country to bring rural people under the information technology network for developing their lives and livelihood.

In line with the government’s plan to build digital Bangladesh as charted out in the vision 2021, he said the government is adding different services to the UISCs to bring significant changes in the living standard of the rural people.

Only nine per cent people have access to the banking services in the country, he said adding the government wants to bring rural people under the banking services through mobile banking.

Shah Alam described the signing of MoU as an epoch making step for providing banking facilities to the rural people.

Most of the rural people have no access to Banking services, he said adding it is possible to bring rural people under banking services by introducing branchless banking system through mobile banking. Shah Alam said, “We want to introduce mobile banking across the country with the help of union information service centers.”

According to the MoU, Trust Bank Limited will introduce mobile banking from 20 union information service centers as pilot programme to provide banking facilities to the grassroots level in the country. The remaining UISCs will be brought under the programme in phases.

All banking facilities including opening of bank account, withdrawal and depositing of money and receiving remittances will be available in the mobile banking.

News: Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ Apr-05-2011