ANM Mahfuz 
Additional Managing Director, Bank Asia

Unlike in the past, banks are now consistently striving to offer a wide range of products and services tailored to individual customer segments such as retail, SMEs, and large corporates. Automation and digitisation initiatives have elevated service standards, enhancing customer convenience.

To foster financial growth for both the bank and its customers, Bank Asia offers an extensive range of conventional and Shariah-based Islamic products and services. These include deposit schemes, account services, card services, digital banking, and loans tailored for large corporates, SME entrepreneurs, and retail clients.

For retail customers, we offer a variety of deposit and financing solutions such as current accounts, savings accounts, deposit schemes, home financing, auto loans, personal loans, consumer durable loans, and various digital banking services. Additionally, we are in the process of introducing priority banking services to cater to the wealth management needs of high-net-worth (HNW) retail customers.

SME clients have access to a diverse selection of financial services, including overdrafts for trading, collateral-free term loans, secured overdrafts, demand loans, lease financing, and letters of credit and guarantee, among others.

Bank Asia has also been a pioneer in promoting financial inclusion through agent banking, delivering essential services to unbanked and underserved populations via 5,028 outlets across 64 districts. With 84% of deposits from rural areas, 86% of loan disbursements to rural customers, and over 64% of customers being women, the platform has significantly reduced the gender gap in financial access. It has brought over 21 million unbanked individuals—half of them women—into the financial system.

Bank Asia continues to lead the way in digital transformation by introducing innovative solutions to expand financial inclusion and improve customer convenience. The Digital Nano Loans App was launched to provide financial access to individuals traditionally excluded from formal banking services. To strengthen the SME segment, we introduced an automated Supply Chain Finance (SCF) system, a robust API-integrated platform that seamlessly connects VEEFIN with iStelar-CBS.

For retail customers, we launched the Ghore Boshe Rin Nei online loan application platform, enabling unsecured personal loans of up to BDT 20 lakh with ease. Similarly, the Ghore Boshe Hishab Khulun platform facilitates online deposit account openings, with over one lakh customers already utilising this service. The Bank Asia Smart App empowers customers by enabling online transactions such as fund transfers to any bank, utility bill payments, QR-based payments, mobile recharges, and cheque book requisitions. Additionally, our e-archiving platform (Enadoc) enables the electronic storage and swift retrieval of account opening documents.

To reach marginalised, unbanked populations and deliver social safety net payments in rural areas, Bank Asia introduced the Micro Merchant Mobile App, providing sustainable financial services to underserved communities.