BRAC Bank Shafollo empowers marginalised communities

BRAC Bank Shafollo digital financing programme.

Dhaka, Thursday, June 12: BRAC Bank’s digital financing programme, Shafollo, is expanding access to finance for underserved communities by offering the fastest, collateral-free loans with minimal documentation.

Designed to address the long-standing credit exclusion faced by farmers, workers, small traders, and rural entrepreneurs, Shafollo removes traditional barriers through a fully digital process.

A digitally processed loan, disbursed within 10 minutes, with minimal documentation—what once felt out of reach for marginal communities is now a nationwide reality.

Piloted in Sherpur and now active in over 15 regions including Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Satkhira, and Char areas, Shafollo enables individuals in remote communities to access collateral-free loans from BDT 500 to BDT 500,000. The application, verification, and disbursement processes are fully digitised—transforming loan access from a week-long ordeal to a few minutes of seamless engagement.

Customers can apply through BRAC Bank branches, SME offices, agent banking outlets, or from home using Shubidha—the bank’s dedicated digital lending platform—and the Astha digital banking app.

Once eligibility is confirmed via AI-based credit scoring, funds are disbursed digitally. Borrowers can repay through both digital and traditional channels.

Timely repayments unlock automated credit limit extensions, encouraging responsible usage and financial resilience.

Farmers accessing the financing can secure loans at the start of sowing season and repay post-harvest—an alignment of credit cycles with crop cycles that was never possible with informal lending.

To deepen outreach and ensure responsible lending, BRAC Bank has forged partnerships with corporates, MNCs, and fintechs for reaching the grassroot level. These collaborations aid market research, data validation, and financial literacy—ensuring that loans reach those who need them most and use them wisely.

As of March 2025, more than 7,900 loans have been disbursed through Shafollo, touching lives across the economic spectrum and reinforcing Bangladesh’s progress toward inclusive finance. Beneficiaries have reported improved agricultural yields, increased incomes, and greater control over their financial futures.

With Shafollo, BRAC Bank is setting a precedent—not just for digital transformation at grassroots level, but also helping marginal community avoid informal lenders offering loan at exorbitant rates. In doing so, it is building a more inclusive and economically liberated Bangladesh, where no one is left behind. – Press release