The 5th meeting of the Advisory Committee of the “Comprehensive Rural Finance” study supported by the Bangladesh Bank was held on 25 November 2024 at InM Conference Room, House: 50 (5th Floor), Road: 8, Block: D, Niketon, Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212. Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman of the Advisory Committee chaired the meeting which was attended by Dr. Nazma Begum, former Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka; Dr. Mustafa K. Mujeri, Executive Director, Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM), Mr. Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, Chairman Board of Directors, BASIC Bank Limited, Dr. Toufic Ahmad Choudhury, Director General, Bangladesh Academy for Securities Markets and Dr. Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury Former Vice Chairperson, BRAC.
The meeting reviewed the progress of the study and outlined the work plan for the upcoming six months. During the discussion, the main report's chapter structure was briefly examined and the advisory committee members suggested adding more sub-sections to improve the report's quality and relevance. Additionally, the main findings from four background reports were presented: (i) Survey Report: Bangladesh-Report of the Rural Finance Survey 2023; (ii) Access to Finance for Farming and Non-farming Households in Rural Bangladesh; (iii) Penetration of Agent Banking and Mobile Financial Services in Rural Areas of Bangladesh; and (iv) Regional Variations in Access to Finance Among Rural Households in Bangladesh. Based on these findings, committee members explored various options and proposed actions to ensure the report’s quality and relevance. They also commended InM’s efforts in working towards the study's overall objectives.