Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman on Monday stressed on the need for establishing an inclusive growth process by offering equal opportunities to all segments of population.

Realising this, the central bank has been promoting inclusive growth through offering financial services at the doorstep of all people of the society.

Dr. Atiur made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of a day-long workshop titled “Making sense of CSR: Connecting to Disability in Development” as chief guest. The Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) organized this at a city hotel.

Mentioning an UN report revealed recently, the central bank governor said at present around 15 percent of the world’s population is disabled, while the rate is around 9.0 percent in Bangladesh, but only 11 percent of the people with disability have access to education.

These statistics provide enough rationale for us to think deeply about the welfare of the people with disability so as to ensure an inclusive economic and social growth. In FY 2011-12 national budget, around Taka 1.0 billion was allocated for providing financial assistance to 286,000 poor people with disability, Atiur added.

BB Governor also mentioned that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) is gaining global acceptance as a standard of socially equitable business practices. The role of business worldwide has evolved from classical ‘profit maximising’ approach to a ‘socially responsible’ approach, where business is not only responsible to its stockholders but also to all of its stakeholders in a broader inclusive sense, said Atiur.

Gazi Mohammad Nurul Kabir, managing director, Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation was present as special guest while executive director, CDD, AHM Noman Khan presented the keynote paper on the occasion. BB Governor also informed that to ease financial services to the people with disability, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has set up separate counter at the cash department of its all branch offices. Besides, BB has advised all scheduled banks in Bangladesh to nominate an officer as the key focal person for providing services to the disabled.

BB’s agricultural credit programme attaches special priorities to the disabled in distribution of agricultural credit, Dr Atiur said adding the banks are also helping disabled people of the society through their various CSR programmes.

Dutch-Bangla Bank (DBBL) awarded scholarships to five physically students with disability who passed SSC examination in 2009. The scholarship covers financial assistance for their full academic periods. Besides, DBBL arranged free surgical operation for children and adolescents with club-feet and plastic surgery operation camp under its Smile-Brighter Programme.

Standard Bank Limited is serving people by setting up a temporary eye treatment project and also donated cheques to 20 war wounded Freedom Fighters. HSBC has been providing scholarships to 30 blind students over the past 3 years and the number presently has increased to 50 in 2011. BRAC Bank is providing financial aids for the treatment and education of hearing impaired poor people of the society. BRAC Bank is also supporting the leading school of Autistic children for building awareness about Autism.

Besides, BRAC Bank has provided educational materials to around 300 underprivileged children with multiple disabilities.

Source: The Daily Sun/ Bangladesh/ 13th Dec 2011

Bangladesh has emerged as the eight largest remittance earner, riding on the back of migration in flocks to the Middle East, according to a global survey by the World Bank.

Migrant deployments from Bangladesh grew strongly this year, the global lender said in its report after conducting the survey last week.

Migration in large numbers to the Middle East in the recent years has placed Bangladesh on a firm footing in remittance earning, observers told The Daily Star.

stimate for the whole year on the basis of information available until September.

Bangladesh's inward remittance stood at $11.99 billion. India came in first with revenue earnings worth $57.82 billion and China stood second at $57.28 billion.

Among the developing countries, Bangladesh holds the fifth position.

Migration from Bangladesh for jobs increased rapidly since 2007, and it is the main contributor to the country's high remittance earning, said Zahid Hussain, a WB senior economist.

Before 2007, around two to four lakh Bangladeshis migrated abroad. In 2008 the figure rose to nine lakh in a single year.

Citing one of his studies, Hussain said remittance increases mainly due to two factors -- an increase in net migration and an increase in the per head remittance of the expatriate worker.

Hussain said remittance increased 32.5 percent in 2008 -- 22 percent of which took place due to net migration. Remittance earning per worker increased by 10 percent, he added. "The trend still continues."
According to statistics from the expatriate welfare and overseas employment ministry, minimum annual migration stood at 4.75 lakh from 2007 to 2010, while the maximum was 8.75 lakh. However, in 2010, it slumped to an extent and stood at 3.9 lakh.

According to statistics from the first ten months of this year, 4.59 lakh Bangladeshis migrated. Ministry officials said it will cross 5 lakh by the end of the year.

In developing countries, including Bangladesh, migration to the Middle East became more lucrative since the oil price hikes as the nations took on more development projects, hence generating demand for more workers.

High oil prices, hovering over $100 a barrel in recent months, continue to provide a much-needed cushion for migrant workers in Gulf countries and Russia, the WB report added.

Remittance from the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries to Bangladesh and Pakistan -- where the GCC accounts for 60 percent or more of overall remittance inflow -- grew by 8 percent and 31 percent respectively in the first three quarters of 2011 on a year-on-year basis, the lender said.

However, the WB said there are risks associated with the ongoing debt crisis in Europe and high unemployment rates in the high-income OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries for the employment prospects of migrants.

Hussain said Bangladesh may escape the impacts of a second recession as most migrants go to the Middle East. Even if oil prices drop, the ongoing rate of development in those countries will require a large number of workers.
The economist said Qatar is building high tech stadiums, as the country will host the World Football Cup matches in 2022. The Middle Eastern nation will also hire workers from developing countries such as Bangladesh, he said.

Oil prices may slump dueto the financial crisis in the US and Europe. But the prices may go up if demand increases in China and India, he said. In that case, the Gulf economies will witness no slow-down, he added.

Source: The Daily Star/ Bangladesh/ 13th Dec 2011

K S Tabrez, managing director of Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited, is seen inaugurating a branch in Jamalpur yesterday.

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited (DBBL) has opened its 106th branch at Tamaltala in Jamalpur district town yesterday.

K S Tabrez, managing director of the Bank, formally inaugurated the branch, said a press release.

DBBL provides a wide range of banking products and financial services including card services to its retail and corporate customers.

DBBL has started mobile banking operation to reach banking services to the door steps of the millions of rural people. It has a wide variety of delivery channels like ATMs, Fast Tracks besides branch networks at important places of the country, Tabrez said while addressing the function.

DBBL serves over 1.9 million customers throughout the country, the news release said.

Source: The Daily Sun/ Bangladesh/ 12th Dec 2011

Bank Asia has opened a new branch at Oxygen Rail Crossing in Chittagong recently.

The premises of the new branch has been used as a SME Service Centre of the Bank, said a press release. Md Mehmood Husain, president and managing director of the Bank, inaugurated the branch as chief guest.

Top executives and high officials of the Bank were present on the occasion. In addition to 60 branches, the Bank also has seven SME Service Centres, the release added.

Source: The Daily Sun/ Bangladesh/ 12th Dec 2011

Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, Managing Director of Pubali Bank Limited addressing the participants in a workshop on follow-up meeting on loans under Consumers Credit Scheme held at the Pubali Bank Head Office recently.

Source: The Financial Express/ Bangladesh/ 12th Dec 2011