Bangladesh Bank gets AFI award for promoting mobile banking

Bangladesh Bank has been honoured with the 'Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Policy Award' for promoting mobile-banking service in Bangladesh.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 10 Sept 2014, 10:00 AM
Updated : 10 Sept 2014, 10:47 AM

Governor Atiur Rahman said on Wednesday the central bank representatives received the award at the 2014 AFI Global Policy Forum on Tuesday at Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.

AFI is an international organisation of central banks and other financial regulators working for greater financial inclusion.

A delighted Rahman spoke of the secret behind “the fastest growth” in the mobile banking beating leading countries such as Kenya.

He said the award was an encouraging recognition for his team’s “pro-active initiatives” in policy making that promoted “partnerships”.

“These policies came as part of our poverty alleviating and financially inclusive banking approach,” Rahman told bdnews24.com.

Bangladesh Bank has received the award for its 'Guidelines on Mobile Financial Services' introduced in 2011.

The central bank has so far given permission to 28 banks and a bank subsidiary for running mobile banking services.

More than 16.7 million people have opened accounts so far availing the mobile financial services which is growing by the day.

Transaction through mobile banking in Bangladesh averages Tk 2.84 billion a day.