There was a time when women had to go to the nearest market
to open a bKash wallet. This alone was an inconvenience for several reasons.
The market can be chaotic and crowded with men – not always a welcoming place
for a woman. She had to wait for the long line of customers to complete
transactions before the bKash agent was ready for her. More often than not, the
agent would be a male who would show the woman how to handle bKash while
standing close. Together with a commute of several hours, jostling with the
crowd and enduring lewd glances and transacting in the market tended to become
very prohibitive for women.
BRAC introduced bKash account opening services through
customer service assistants (CSA) and project staff (PS) across its
Microfinance, Integrated Development, and Education Programmes in 2016 to
circumvent the marketplace and encourage new users to take the first step in
their mobile money journey. With women able to open bKash wallets at the
nearest BRAC office, the scenario changed. The commute was shorter. There were
no crowds. They could stand in queue with other women and feel completely at
ease. BRAC staff were available at short notice to facilitate introduction to
this new platform, even ready to visit a client’s backyard for further
assistance.
Trained BRAC personnel introduce clients to the bKash
application before opening a wallet, through the story of a fictional character
teaching new users how to add or remove money from the virtual wallet. They are
then familiarised with the buttons and basic functions on mobile phones. BRAC
staff modify this introduction according to local context and circumstances of
clients. The BRAC CSAs and PSs are trained to then collect national IDs and
colour photographs, and to complete the Know Your Customer (KYC) forms on
behalf of the clients. Once wallets have been approved, the CSAs work with
clients to finalise account opening, including PIN set-up.
Prior to the introduction of CSAs, bKash agents would often
set up PINs instead of teaching the women how to do it, compromising security.
CSAs on the other hand are skilled at helping clients create PINs that they
easily remember. They also emphasise digital wallet safety by reminding the
clients time and again not to disclose their PIN to anyone, ever.
One size doesn’t fit all – tailoring services
BRAC began its mobile money journey by mapping critical factors behind the gender gap in Bangladesh. Drawing upon research and best practices in the Global South, as well as a deep understanding of its clients’ realities, BRAC developed contextualized, responsive solutions. Five years later, 78% of bKash wallets it opens are for women, more than two-thirds of whom are active users. This is well above the national average of 35% active users. It was not easy to achieve.