Banks to get 10-day notice to open woman help desk

All commercial banks would get a 10-day final notice to set up a separate 'help desk' for women at their all branches to help create new women entrepreneurs by providing them with hassle-free and faster services, said a Bangladesh Bank (BB) official.
"The central bank would issue a directive next week asking the banks open woman help desk at their all branches within 10 days of receiving the directive", BB executive director Nirmal Chandra Bhakta told BSS on Monday.
BB in 2010 asked all banks to open separate help desk for women, but many of them are yet to follow the directive.
"BB is now collecting information from banks on their number of branches having women help desk", said the BB official, adding that the final directive regarding this matter would be issued after compilation of the information.
He said BB might take punitive action in case of failure of banks to set up women held desk within the stipulated timeframe.
BB executive director and spokesperson M Mahfuzur Rahman said some banks effectively showed lack of interest by not following the regulator's directive, but they would have no option but to follow the next directive accordingly.
BB data showed that Sonali Bank so far opened the highest number of women help desks at its 12 among 1200 branches followed by Rupali Bank with setting up similar help desk at its 10 out of 650 branches. Only a few out of 56 private banks have separate help desk for women. Agrani Bank and Janata Bank have no such desk at their branches.