IPDC's women entrepreneur financing

Industrial Promotion and Development Company (IPDC) has been playing a vital role in financing the women entrepreneurs of the country since 2009. It has dedicated relationship managers as well as help desks exclusively for women entrepreneurs in every branch. In the year 2015, as per the guideline of Bangladesh Bank, it has introduced a number of women entrepreneurs with the banking credit who didn't have such access with any bank or NBFI earlier. There are instances where the relationship managers assisted the potential women entrepreneurs in formalizing their businesses through soliciting trade license from the government regulatory authority, opening a bank account, preparing business cards or seals and maintaining financial statements like balance sheet, income statement etc. IPDC aspires to have more success stories in the year ahead and stand strong beside women entrepreneurs to realize their dreams. The IPDC is the first private sector financial institution of the country established in 1981 by a distinguished group of shareholders namely International Finance Corporation (IFC), USA, German Investment and Development Company (DEG), Germany, The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), Switzerland, Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), UK and the Government of Bangladesh. Since its inception, IPDC has played a pivotal role in reshaping the private sector industrialization of the country through innovative financial products and services. Today IPDC is a diversified financial institution with a wide range of products and services covering corporate finance and advisory services, middle market supply chain finance, retail wealth management and retail finances.  (The writer is Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications at IPDC. e-mail : nousheen. rahman@ipdcbd.com)