Lending to women entrepreneurs included in CAMEL Rating: Atiur

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman on Tuesday said disbursement of loans to women entrepreneurs has been included in the CAMEL Rating so that they can easily avail loan facility for running trade and business.
Speaking at a pre-budget discussion meeting of Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, with BWCCI president Selima Ahmed presiding, Dr Atiur said since 2007, a total of 220 women entrepreneurs had taken loans from banks whereas the number was 73 in the first quarter of this year.
“We will not only keep the pace but also enhance it and we will put this loan system in the mainstream banking,” he said, in view the increasing number of women coming up to undertake various productive ventures.
Currently, banks have to disburse at least ten percent of their total disbursed credits to the women entrepreneurs.
The central bank boss said that banks would try to increase lending to the women entrepreneurs in this connection as no bank does want to see them below the CAMEL Rating.
The BB Governor also said that his organization is strengthening the monitoring system in this regard that will ultimately help the women entrepreneurs.
“We will not punish the banks that will fail to disburse the loans. We might introduce incentives for those who will disburse more loans for the women entrepreneurs,” he added.
In this connection, he said that the highest loan-disbursing banks might get chance to open new branch or get such incentives.
But the new Governor sought help from the BWCCI in identifying the real entrepreneurs. “You grade the women entrepreneurs and help us to identify the real ones,” he said.
Dr Atiur stressed the need for introducing a focal point in the central bank for the women entrepreneurs and said that it was possible to set up such focal point if the women entrepreneurs helped the Bank.
The central bank chief noted that the women entrepreneurs of the country have a great chance to tag themselves with the government as the government will introduce public- private partnership (PPP) from the next fiscal.
“You can take the chance. For this, you have to identify in what type of PPP you want to contribute,” he told the galaxy of businesswomen.
About the budget, the BB Governor said that this is a continuous process of a government. “Budget is not just a document of fund allocation – this is a document of a government with political aspects,” he said.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today