United Commercial Bank PLC (UCB) has won the Champion Project of the Year award in the Information Technology (Medium Category) at the Bangladesh Project Management Symposium & Awards 2026 for its Agri Rural Fast Loan (ARFL) initiative, recognising the bank’s digital efforts to simplify and accelerate agricultural lending.
The award was presented at an event organised by the Project Management Institute (PMI), Bangladesh Chapter, at a hotel in Dhaka, where State Minister of Planning Md Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki attended as the chief guest. Deputy Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of UCB Md Abdullah Al Mamoon and other senior bank officials were also present, the bank said in a press release.
UCB said ARFL was developed to make agricultural financing faster, simpler and more accessible through technology. The initiative enables eligible farmers to receive agricultural loans within a single day, the bank said.
The recognition marks a milestone in UCB’s broader digital transformation journey and highlights the role of UCB ONE, the bank’s core digital banking platform and technology foundation, in delivering integrated, scalable and customer-focused financial services.
UCB said the award was a significant achievement, particularly for its agriculture and rural entrepreneurship initiatives, and reflected its continued efforts to use digital innovation to provide more efficient and inclusive financial services.
