A total of 21 financial institutions have been honored with the Mastercard Excellence Awards 2022 for their contributions to advancing the government’s "Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041.
The Mastercard awards were given to the top-performing partners in 15 categories for their achievements in paving the path for taking the country to its Smart Bangladesh objectives by 2041.
The theme for the fourth edition of the awards - Towards a Smart Transformation – was aimed at bringing together leaders from across the financial industry to reiterate support for the government’s ‘Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041’.
Held in Dhaka, the award-giving ceremony was attended by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi as chief guest, Khurshid Alam, executive director of Bangladesh Bank as the guest of honor; Vikas Varma, chief operating officer of South Asia Mastercard, Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager, Bangladesh, Mastercard along with senior officials and dignitaries from partner banks, fintech, and merchant partners.
Mastercard has played a pivotal role in bringing about transformational change in the payment industry, by introducing payment gateways, contactless, interoperable and QR-based payment solutions and supporting Bangladesh as it strives to fulfill its financial inclusion goal by enabling safe, secure and efficient payment solutions.
For decades, Mastercard has worked hand in hand with the government, financial entities, and customers to promote an inclusive and sustainable digital payments ecosystem and develop a roadmap to enable financial inclusion for SMEs.
While addressing the programme Vikas Varma, said, “Mastercard is proud to assist Bangladesh in its efforts to expand access to cutting-edge financial services by creating a simpler, more secure financial ecosystem.
As the country moves forward to achieve its vision of becoming a knowledge-based society, Mastercard is committed to facilitating more payment and commerce options by harnessing the power of technology in collaboration with partners, he said.
The Mastercard is pleased to recognise the local businesses for developing and supporting innovative and compelling digital payment solutions that are fueling inclusive growth, he said.
Mastercard’s first acceptance in Bangladesh was recorded in 1991 while the country’s first branded plastic card was introduced in 1997, laying a solid platform for operations.
In 2013, Mastercard became the first global payment technology company to establish a liaison office in Bangladesh.
The awards winning financial institutions are: Al Arafah Islami Bank, Prime Bank, The City Bank, AB Bank, Brac Bank, Lankabangla Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, Eastern Bank, Southeast Bank, Lankabangla Finance, National Bank, United Commercial Bank, Dutch Bangla Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, Islami Bank Bangladesh, NAGAD, Aarong, Evercare Hospitals, Singer Bangladesh, bKash, Daraz Bangladesh, Foodpanda, Grameenphone and Gozayan.
