Give collateral-free loan to women entrepreneurs

Our Correspondent | Published: December 22, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

CHITTAGONG, Dec 21: The central bank governor instructed all scheduled banks on Sunday to sanction loans up to Tk 2.5 million to women entrepreneurs without any security deposit.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said, "There is no bank loan defaulter among the women entrepreneurs. Yet they have to suffer a lot in getting loan from the banks. I don't know why. Please ensure loans up to Tk 2.5 million to them without security deposit."
He said this while addressing as the chief guest of a seminar titled "Credit Access for Women Entrepreneurs: Challenges and the Way Forward." The Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CWCCI) and the EU-funded project INSPIRED jointly organised it at Hotel Agrabad in the port-city.
Presided over by CWCCI president Quamrun Malek, the function was addressed, among others, by Industries Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) senior vice present Monowara Hakim Ali.
The BB governor said the women entrepreneurs have to face various unnecessary queries while taking loan from the banks. Besides, there are allegations that they do not get sufficient bank loan.
He advised the women entrepreneurs to challenge the bank branches if they are deprived of loan, and said necessary actions will be taken against the banks concerned on the basis of their complaints.
Besides, the women entrepreneurs can use the central bank hotline and file allegations to its SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) Department.
The governor also instructed the BB senior officials concerned to make quick remedies after taking the women entrepreneurs' allegations into cognizance.
"The government and the central bank always want to see that the women entrepreneurs are not facing any problem in getting loan from the commercial banks."
The government has taken various women-friendly steps so far, which have been acclaimed at home and abroad. The amount of loan disbursement in the SME sector has increased over the years, he said.
In 2012, the loan disbursement was 3.22%, and 3.92% in 2013. Till this September it was 3.70%, which will stand at 6.0% at the end of the current fiscal year.
Last year, a total of Tk 33.47 billion bank loan from all the banks was disbursed to 41,695 women entrepreneurs, which was 50% higher from the previous year. Till this September Tk 26.51 billion has been disbursed among 20,349 women entrepreneurs, the BB governor informed.
He further added that the banks and financial institutions will be benefited against granting loans to the women entrepreneurs by utilizing the refinancing facility, as the central bank has 15% fund allocation exclusively for the entrepreneurs.