Low-cost loans empower women
Lower interest rates have a direct impact on women empowerment and ensure their active participation in the financial sector, said speakers at a dialogue.
They spoke at the National Dialogue for Women Entrepreneurs at the Midas Convention Centre in Dhaka on Friday.
Midas Financing Ltd (MFL), one of the top non-bank financial institutions in the country, organised the event to acknowledge achievements of women entrepreneurs and encourage them.
Women entrepreneurs at the grassroots who achieved remarkable success shared their stories and the support they received from the MFL in their journey, according to a statement.
The MFL has distributed SME loans among 887 women entrepreneurs, who accounted for 20 percent of the total amount disbursed. Besides, there are a huge number of women who availed other loan products and expanded their business successfully.
Apart from providing financial services and benefits, the MFL has extended support in the form of training programmes, investment plans, management guidance and marketing strategies.
“In this aspect its parent organisation Midas is playing an important role to groom entrepreneurs,” said the statement.
“From the very beginning, they are providing intellectual support to the entrepreneurs by arranging comprehensive trainings on different contemporary issues and developing them for taking on the challenge of the global economy,” said the statement.
Rokia Afzal Rahman, chairperson of MFL and a former caretaker government adviser; Parveen Mahmud, chairman of Micro Industries Development Assistance and Services (Midas); Tina Jabeen, adviser of the IDEA Project under the ICT ministry; Md Safiqul Islam, managing director of SME Foundation; Md Ashraf Hossain, managing director of Joyeeta Foundation; Shaikh Md Salim, general manager of the SME & Special Programs Department of the central bank; and ASM Mashi-ur-Rahman, managing director of Midas, spoke.
Shafique-ul-Azam, managing director of MFL, and Shameem Ahmed, head of administration, were also present at the event, which was moderated by Zareen Mahmud, a chartered accountant.
