On 25th April 2024, the representatives of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) met with different types of farmers working with and benefiting from the organizations like WeGro Technologies Limited and iPAGE Global Inc. at Satiantola, Bogura Sadar, Bogura.

Also, in this meeting members from Dhaka Bank PLC. and Visa were present for the inauguration the co-branded debit card for WeGro farmers. With this card, WeGro farmers can access their Dhaka Bank PLC. loans and purchase essential inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, etc. from the input centres around them. This card is a milestone towards the digitalization of financial services for farmers in Bangladesh, especially in rural areas where farmers are doing cashless transactions.

The representatives of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) talked with around 30 small farmers to hear their challenges and how WeGro and bank are changing their working conditions and income level. In front of them Dhaka Bank PLC. team opened the bank accounts for a few farmers within a very short time and also issued co-branded debit visa card which was appreciated by the Swiss team.

In this program, Rosenthaler, Head of Section Asia; Markus Baechler, Programme Manager; Rebecca Bucherer
Thematic Regional Adviser – PSE and Inclusive Development; Ameena Chowdhury, Programme Manager and Syeda Zinia Rashid, Senior Programme Officer, Mr. H.M. Mostafizur Rahaman, Executive Vice President & Head of Retail Business and Md. Katebur Rahman, Senior Vice President & Head of Agriculture Banking Unit represented Dhaka Bank PLC. Siraj Siddiquey Shakil, Director of Product and Solution at Visa South Asia was present in the meeting.

The program was a follow-up visit by the SDC to observe and exchange views of many stakeholders benefiting from the work of the agriculture based impact start-ups WeGro and iPAGE. Both organizations were the recipients of the Biniyog Briddhi IRMF impact fund, which focused on scaling the impact of these enterprises. B-Briddhi is a multi-year partnership between the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, Roots of Impact, LightCastle Partners, and other stakeholders including investors, private sector organizations, incubators, and support organizations for impact enterprises. The impact enterprises were represented by: Mashrur H. Shurid, Chief Executive Officer at iPAGE Global Inc., Md. Mahmudur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer and Md. Alvi Rahman, Chief Operating Officer of WeGro Technologies Limited.