financial inclusion

December 10, 2023

Scaling up crop insurance to tackle the global food crisis: Insights from Bangladesh

The world is already facing a global food crisis, and it is expected to worsen, with climate impacts anticipated to wipe out 30% of the world’s food production by 2050. Our biggest strength in facing this crisis are the people most exposed to it - smallholder farmers, who produce one-third of the world's food. Insights from Bangladesh provide valuable guidance on how crop insurance can support these farmers to tackle the challenges ahead.
August 27, 2023

Getting women to use mobile money: Insights from a decade in Bangladesh

BRAC has been trying to figure out how to get women in Bangladesh to use mobile money for the last decade. Along the way, we have learnt a lot about what works and what doesn’t. In this blog, we share five insights to help organisations seeking to drive up the use of digital financial services in communities.
June 19, 2023

5 tips for developing your very own behavioural board game

How can we expand our tools for facilitating impact beyond traditional programming? BRAC’s Social Innovation Lab has been experimenting with games for behavioural change programming for quite a while now and based on this wealth of experience, here we have curated 5 pointers for people looking to create their very own behavioural change board game.
June 6, 2023

The entrepreneurs continuing Bangladesh’s sanitation revolution

Bangladesh’s drive towards zero open defecation led to an increase in demand for high-quality latrine building materials in both rural and urban areas. This created an opportunity for people to unlock their entrepreneurial spirit while contributing to better sanitation in their communities.
April 26, 2023

Confronting marginalisation with meetings. Can it foster indigenous leadership?

Northern Bangladesh is home to 80% of the country's indigenous population. More than 18 languages are spoken by members of these indigenous communities upholding their rich culture, long practised heritage and colourful way of life. This diversity also lends itself as a factor in attaining universal acceptability for indigenous leaders which has historically led to a dearth of formal indigenous leaders. Can we foster local leadership by ensuring a safe platform at the community level?
December 22, 2022

5 key support pillars for robust digital financial inclusion of women

Nine out of every ten women in Bangladesh still don’t have access to digital financial services. What are the socio-economic barriers hindering their inclusion and how do we design solutions to bring down the barriers stopping women from making the digital transition?
December 1, 2022

Purses made digital: How fintechs can better serve women

Digital financial platforms are an enabler for financial inclusion, but approximately 740 million women globally still remain outside of formal or digital financial services. How can the fintech industry better tap into its potential for greater financial inclusion, so that women have the control over their purses?
December 1, 2022

There’s more to social protection than just allowances

Social security programmes in Bangladesh date back to the 1970s, but continue to be plagued by errors, including a failure to reach those who need it the most. Today, we must look beyond cash allowances and focus on lowering dependency on such programmes.
November 16, 2022

5 lessons towards a workforce that works for women

85% of employment in Bangladesh is in the informal sector, yet training opportunities in the sector are limited. BRAC’s skills training for advancing resources (STAR) provides a platform for young people to hone their skills, build confidence and take charge of their livelihoods.
May 16, 2022

Data for good: Doing development with digitalisation

Communities across the globe are connected through the power of information and technology. Consumption patterns have been altered and traditional ways of working disrupted. How does this play out in the development sector?
April 7, 2022

Living behind the ‘Made in Bangladesh’ label

It’s 4am, still half dark outside. Moyna Begum wakes up from the sound of water rushing from the tube well. Her first thought is how long that queue gets every morning. 10 families share one tube well and one hygiene facility. She rushes to the tube well with a bucket, to collect the water she will use for the rest of that day.
April 4, 2022

The importance of social empowerment to break the poverty trap

Through regular mentorship and life-skills training, as well as providing linkages to community associations, the Graduation approach’s prioritisation of socially empowering participants improves their overall well-being, enables self sufficiency, and strengthens social inclusion within their community long term.