EBL hosts summit to empower finance-ready women entrepreneurs
Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) hosted the Women Entrepreneurship Development Summit 2025 today at its Dhaka head office, uniting women's chambers, business associations, and partners to chart a strategic roadmap for finance-ready women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
Held under the theme "Building Bridges for Finance-Ready Women-Led Enterprises", the open-floor discussion aimed to foster collaborative partnerships between EBL Women Banking and key stakeholders to ensure inclusive financial access and institutional readiness for women-led businesses.
Rubina Husain, president of the Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (BFWE) and SEED Foundation, moderated the session. She stated, "This initiative by EBL is a timely and much-needed platform, uniting banks, chambers, and women entrepreneurs to formalise and scale women-led enterprises nationwide."
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At the event, EBL also launched Phase II of its flagship women entrepreneurship development programme, Adbita. This three-month blended (online and offline) capacity-building initiative offers hands-on training, personalized business mentoring, connections to financial resources, and access to local and global marketplaces. It aims to help women entrepreneurs enhance their formal business documentation, financial literacy, e-commerce capabilities, product quality, and market access, both locally and globally.
"Our commitment goes beyond rhetoric. This programme is shaped by the real needs of women entrepreneurs—access to finance, institutional recognition and strategic support," said Ali Reza Iftekhar, managing director of EBL. "We are proud to be contributing to a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem."
The summit was attended by leading women entrepreneurs, business leaders, and ecosystem collaborators, including Md Mustafizur Rahman (SEED Foundation CEO), Osman Ershad Faiz (EBL Additional Managing Director & COO), M Khorshed Anowar (Deputy Managing Director & Head of Retail and SME Banking), Sarmin Atik (Head of Liability & Wealth Management), and Tanzeri Hoque (Head of Priority & Women Banking).
