DHL-The Daily Star ‘Bangladesh Business Awards’
staff reporter, Dhaka : bKash has been honored as the best financial institution of the year 2021 for exemplary contribution to the country’s financial inclusion. bKash wins ‘Best Financial Institution of the year’ as the first MFS provider in the country in the prestigious ‘DHL-The Daily Star – Bangladesh Business Award’.
Planning Minister MA Mannan handed over the award to Kamal Quadir, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of bKash at a ceremony held at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden hotel on Friday evening. RS Subramanian, senior vice-president (South Asia) of DHL Express; Md Miarul Haque, managing director of DHL Express Bangladesh; Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star, among others, were present on the occasion.
From its inception, bKash has become an integral part of the lives of millions, particularly in rural areas. Today, due to its fast, easy and secure digital transactions, bKash has become a household name in Bangladesh. The word “bKash” has become a verb; people now say “bKash koro (me)” instead of “send me money”. Catering to people’s daily transactional needs, it is empowering them to fulfil their dreams as well as take the country forward. In recognition of the impacts created by bKash, the company has earned this honor.
DHL Express and The Daily Star has been jointly recognizing best companies and entrepreneurs for the contribution in overall economic development of the country since 2000.
Kamal Quadir, founder and CEO of bKash said, “After 50 years of independence, Bangladesh is making a giant leap towards prosperity with inclusive growth. Keeping up with this pace, in just over a decade, bKash has relentlessly worked to bring unbanked and underbanked people into the formal financial sector under the regulations of Bangladesh Bank from the very beginning, which reflected the government’s vision. The recognition from the DHL-The Daily Star is a validation of the MFS provider’s steadfast journey. It has not been a sprint, but a marathon with corporate discipline, compliant practices, and customer-centric focus. We will continue to try to contribute to Bangladesh’s unstoppable march towards a cashless ecosystem and transformative financial inclusion.”
bKash has been awarded as the country’s Best Brand for three consecutive years in 2019, 2020, 2021 through consumer surveys by Bangladesh Brand Forum. bKash has also been ranked as the number one ‘Employer of Choice’ among multinational and local organizations across all sectors for two years in a row in 2020 and 2021, by Campus Track Survey of Nielsen. Besides, it was ranked as the 23rd company in the annual list of Fortune Magazine’s “Change the World in 2017” among the top 50 companies across the world making changes based on social issues.
