Staff Reporter : A groundbreaking dialogue session on “Breaking Attitudinal Barriers: Inclusive Banking for Persons with Disabilities” was held at the office of Team Inclusion Bangladesh in Bank Town, Dhaka. This first-of-its-kind initiative aimed to address banking accessibility challenges for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and explore solutions for financial inclusion.
The session was a collaborative effort between Monash University Australia, Team Inclusion Bangladesh, and Prime Bank PLC., a leader in financial innovation. Prime Bank, as the funding partner, reaffirmed its commitment to digital transformation and inclusive banking.
Key stakeholders included ten individuals with disabilities- representing physical, visual, and hearing impairments-who shared their lived experiences. Ten banking professionals from Prime Bank, including leaders from Production and Service, Sustainable Finance, Credit Risk Management, HR, Branch Management, Commercial Banking, Operations, and Loans & Credit, engaged in discussions on service challenges.
The session featured insights from Shahriar Abu Zafar, Associate Professor at Monash Business School, who provided a global perspective on financial inclusion. Disability rights advocate Sahana Sharmin emphasized the need for sign language support, while banking professionals such as Kazi reshad mahboob, Nishat Mobashwera Khan, and Patwary Tanvir Rahman Siddique highlighted the importance of training and mindset change.
Discussions addressed barriers such as inaccessible digital platforms, the lack of Braille and sign language support, physical obstacles in bank branches, and difficulties in securing loans. Prime Bank’s MY PRIME APP was highlighted as a step toward accessible digital banking, and commitments were made to enhance training, policy advocacy, and technological solutions for inclusive finance.
This session was more than a discussion- it was a call to action. True financial inclusion requires collective responsibility, ensuring banking services are accessible to all, without barriers.