Standard Chartered Bank鈥檚 community investments have impacted over 18 million people across country over the past five years.
The bank made the disclosure at a press conference at The Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital Dhaka on Sunday, highlighting the bank鈥檚 impactful sustainability initiatives across the country.
It focused on a wide range of development programmes aimed at rural empowerment, agriculture, education, health, entrepreneurship and employment generation, the bank officials said.
Key projects included floriculture clusters in Jashore, smart farming villages and youth skilling centres in Gazipur, they said.
Naser Ezaz Bijoy, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said that the bank鈥檚 role goes far beyond banking. In 2024 alone, nearly one million people benefitted from its community programmes, he said.
He pointed out impactful initiatives such as mangrove planting, agricultural innovation, rural eye care and skills training as examples of how the bank is delivering long-term value, not just visibility.
鈥楢s a foreign bank with limited footprint, our trusted local partners are vital. We focus not on numbers, but on real change in people鈥檚 lives,鈥� Naser said.
Bitopi Das Chowdhury, the bank鈥檚 country head of corporate affairs, said that the projects reflect resilience and dignity taking root across communities.
She noted that the bank set clear inclusion targets 鈥� especially for women and people with disabilities 鈥� and co-designed each project with partners committed to lasting impact.
Husne Ara Begum, founder and executive director of Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha, praised Standard Chartered for moving beyond a donor-recipient relationship.
She described the bank not just as a donor, but as a development partner that understood and respected the needs of communities.
Husne Ara emphasised how rare it was to see a corporate entity fund projects that directly support the poorest farmers and communities without seeking publicity or short-term returns.
AKM Akhtaruzzaman, CEO of Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital, shared that their partnership started with floating eye hospitals and had now expanded into health, education and renewable energy in remote chars.
Runa Khan, executive director of Friendship, stressed that Standard Chartered focused on depth, not just reach. 鈥榃e work with people far from the mainstream鈥攖hose who need healthcare, education, and livelihoods all at once. The bank鈥檚 holistic approach makes that possible,鈥� he said.
Initiatives spotlighted from 2024 include increased farm incomes in Jashore, climate-smart farming in haor areas, expanded beekeeping value chains, youth employment training in Gazipur and diversified livelihoods in disaster-prone chars鈥攁ll designed to build resilience and opportunity for Bangladesh鈥檚 most vulnerable.