Banks urged to use local software to stand sector in good stead
Monday, 10 November 2008
FE Report
Speakers at a roundtable have urged banks to use locally-made banking software to stand the local software companies in good stead.
"Most of the banks procure foreign-made banking software which impedes expansion of business of the local software companies," said Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Habibullah N Karim.
The roundtable on 'Banking Software in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects' was organised by BRAC University in association with BASIS recently at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC) in the city.
The roundtable was chaired by Vice Chancellor of BRAC University Jamilur Reza Chowdhury. Prof. Jafar Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology was the lead discussant of the roundtable while Prof. Iftekhar Gani Chowdhury, Dean of Brac University Business School, was the moderator.
BASIS President Habibullah N Karim in his introductory remarks dwelt on capability of Bangladeshi software companies in producing banking software to cater to the needs of Bangladeshi banks in the process of automation of their banking system.
This kind of roundtable with participation of decision makers from banks, academia and software companies might help exchange ideas about capabilities of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs producing banking software for local banks, he added.
Prof. Jafar Iqbal laid emphasis on a joint initiative to let the decision makers understand that Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are capable of producing banking software.
Siddiqur Rahaman Chowdhury, Chairman of Agrani Bank, stressed the need for strengthening marketing initiatives by Bangladeshi vendors of banking software and the change of attitude of Bangladesh's banks towards the use of local software.
In most cases, where private banks utilise their own funding for procurement of banking software, there should not be any such condition in the tender document, which can bar local vendors from participating in the bidding, he opined.
Suhel Ahmed Chowdhury, Chairman of Janata Bank, urged the authorities concerned to introduce certification by Bangladesh Bank that Bangladeshi banking software should be used by Bangladeshi banks.
Vice Chancellor of BRAC University Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury stated that the banking sector of the country, in fact, had been the early user of IT. But in recent times, it is found that local banks including those owned by the government are procuring banking software from abroad, although the requirement of local banks can easily be fulfilled by the local software companies, he added.
He urged the decision makers of banks not to drive away local vendors deliberately from participating in bidding on procurement of banking software.
SM Aminur Rahman, CEO of Janata Bank Limited, M Kaykobad of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Hafiz Md. Hasan Babu of Dhaka University and Abul Kashem Shirin, Deputy Managing Director of Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited, among others, were present at the roundtable.
Speakers at a roundtable have urged banks to use locally-made banking software to stand the local software companies in good stead.
"Most of the banks procure foreign-made banking software which impedes expansion of business of the local software companies," said Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Habibullah N Karim.
The roundtable on 'Banking Software in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects' was organised by BRAC University in association with BASIS recently at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC) in the city.
The roundtable was chaired by Vice Chancellor of BRAC University Jamilur Reza Chowdhury. Prof. Jafar Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology was the lead discussant of the roundtable while Prof. Iftekhar Gani Chowdhury, Dean of Brac University Business School, was the moderator.
BASIS President Habibullah N Karim in his introductory remarks dwelt on capability of Bangladeshi software companies in producing banking software to cater to the needs of Bangladeshi banks in the process of automation of their banking system.
This kind of roundtable with participation of decision makers from banks, academia and software companies might help exchange ideas about capabilities of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs producing banking software for local banks, he added.
Prof. Jafar Iqbal laid emphasis on a joint initiative to let the decision makers understand that Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are capable of producing banking software.
Siddiqur Rahaman Chowdhury, Chairman of Agrani Bank, stressed the need for strengthening marketing initiatives by Bangladeshi vendors of banking software and the change of attitude of Bangladesh's banks towards the use of local software.
In most cases, where private banks utilise their own funding for procurement of banking software, there should not be any such condition in the tender document, which can bar local vendors from participating in the bidding, he opined.
Suhel Ahmed Chowdhury, Chairman of Janata Bank, urged the authorities concerned to introduce certification by Bangladesh Bank that Bangladeshi banking software should be used by Bangladeshi banks.
Vice Chancellor of BRAC University Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury stated that the banking sector of the country, in fact, had been the early user of IT. But in recent times, it is found that local banks including those owned by the government are procuring banking software from abroad, although the requirement of local banks can easily be fulfilled by the local software companies, he added.
He urged the decision makers of banks not to drive away local vendors deliberately from participating in bidding on procurement of banking software.
SM Aminur Rahman, CEO of Janata Bank Limited, M Kaykobad of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Hafiz Md. Hasan Babu of Dhaka University and Abul Kashem Shirin, Deputy Managing Director of Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited, among others, were present at the roundtable.