BRAC Bank has organised a series of entrepreneur conferences to promote its SME e-Loan programme, ‘Shafollo’, the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The initiative marks a milestone in the country’s financial inclusion journey.
The events, titled ‘Shafollo Uddokta Shomabesh’, brought together more than 600 small and medium business owners across Gazipur, Dinajpur, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Syedpur, and Rajshahi. The programme reinforces BRAC Bank’s commitment to fast, transparent, and paperless lending.
Supported by the Gates Foundation, the conferences aimed to raise nationwide awareness about the SME e-loan services. A key feature was the live demonstration of instant ‘Shafollo’ loan disbursement, conducted on the spot—a first in Bangladesh’s banking sector. The demonstration highlighted the speed, transparency, and efficiency of the e-loan system.
BRAC Bank used the sessions to collect direct feedback from entrepreneurs to refine service features and improve customer convenience. The customer-centric approach reflects the bank’s ongoing efforts to enhance digital financial services tailored to SMEs.
The meet is part of a broader plan to scale innovative solutions and strengthen BRAC Bank’s leadership in SME banking.
The ‘Shafollo’ e-loan programme expands access to formal credit for underserved segments by offering fast, collateral-free loans with minimal documentation. It addresses long-standing credit barriers faced by small traders and rural entrepreneurs, providing easy access to funds for grassroots business owners.
Using artificial intelligence-based credit scoring, customer eligibility is assessed digitally, and approved funds are disbursed directly to borrowers’ accounts. The entire process—from application and verification to disbursement—is fully digitised, enabling loan access to be completed within minutes.
