DHAKA, Bangladesh, June
3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aligned with the nation's Digital
Bangladesh Vision 2021, the Government of the People's Republic of
Bangladesh today announced it will
accelerate its transition from cash to digital payments, marked by
a new partnership with the Better Than Cash Alliance. With mounting
evidence that digital financial services are a sustainable strategy
to deliver effective access to financial services for all citizens,
the move also supports the Government's efforts to advance
financial inclusion.
The Government plans to digitize all forms of social safety
payments to citizens, and all forms of fees that citizens make to
the Government for services. In addition, it will enable the
digitization of domestic and international remittances and
financial transactions for e-commerce.
Around the world, creating an economy where digital payments are
widely available is gaining recognition from many governments as a
means to reduce costs, increase transparency and in turn, advance
financial inclusion and inclusive economic growth.
Among the various aspects of the Bangladesh commitment, the Government will
look to advance public and private sector collaboration to build
the necessary infrastructure to reach more citizens with financial
services.
"Joining the Better Than Cash Alliance and committing to a
holistic transition from cash to digital payments is part of our
recognition of the transformative role of information and
communication technologies in creating inclusive growth in
Bangladesh," said Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, Principal Secretary of the
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Chair of the Steering Committee
for Access to Information Programme (a2i). The PMO is leading the
Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 agenda of the Government facilitated
by a2i with technical assistance from the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).
"Our effort will focus specifically on achieving greater
financial inclusion through our more than 5,000 Digital Centres
that were established in all rural and urban local government
institutions around the country," said Mr. Abul Kalam Azad. "These Centres already provide
an average of 4.5 million underserved citizens with access every
month to a wide array of more than 60 digital services. By
mandating that one of the two entrepreneurs managing these Digital
Centres is a woman, we ensure a more gender-sensitive service
delivery environment."
Based at the United Nations, the Better Than Cash Alliance is a
partnership of governments, companies, and international
organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital
payments in order to drive inclusive growth and help people lift
themselves out of poverty. Bangladesh's membership with the Alliance will
allow it to collaborate with and learn from other countries and
apply those learnings to improve the efficiency and transparency of
the national transition.
"Bangladesh has shown great
vision in setting out their Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 agenda,
and has already achieved impressive progress with the
provision of salaries to government employees all over the
country via digital means," said Dr. Ruth
Goodwin-Groen, Managing Director of the Better Than Cash
Alliance. "By joining the Alliance, Bangladesh will have access to the experience
of other member countries, as well as be able to share their
lessons on the expansion of digital payments. We look forward to
working with the leaders of Bangladesh to advance digital payments
nationwide."
Bangladesh joins more than 40
other Better Than Cash Alliance members, and will have access to
the knowledge and technical expertise offered by the Alliance and
its members to accelerate the shift to digital payments, helping to
advance economic growth and expand financial inclusion to all
citizens of Bangladesh.
About Better Than Cash Alliance
The Better Than Cash
Alliance is a partnership of governments, companies, and
international organizations that accelerates the transition from
cash to digital payments in order to drive inclusive growth and
help people lift themselves out of poverty. The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi, Ford Foundation, MasterCard,
Omidyar Network, USAID, and Visa Inc. are funders and the U.N.
Capital Development Fund serves as the secretariat. To learn more,
visit www.betterthancash.org, follow @BetterThan_Cash
and subscribe for news.
About Access to Information Programme (a2i), Prime Minister's
Office, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
Access to Information (a2i) is a programme at the Prime Minister's
Office of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Supported by UNDP & USAID, the
overall objective of the programme is to provide support in
building a digital nation through delivering services at the
citizens' doorsteps. The programme aims to improve quality, widen
access, and decentralize delivery of public services to ensure
responsiveness and transparency. Financial inclusion through
digital means is a distinct focus area of a2i. To learn more, visit
www.a2i.pmo.gov.bd and follow @a2i_bd.
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SOURCE Better Than Cash Alliance