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Driving digital transformation and product diversification for Shakti Foundation in Bangladesh

  • calendarJul 30, 2025
  • time 1 min

Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women (SFDW), a leading microfinance institution (MFI) in Bangladesh, provides credit and savings products to low-income women. To reduce inherent risks of cash-intensive operations and diversify its offerings, SFDW sought to adopt digital solutions and expand its product portfolio.

MSC supported SFDW in its digital transformation journey and provided technical assistance to design and implement new financial products and processes. Our team introduced an MSME loan product and voluntary savings products intended to expand the customer base and enhance financial inclusion.

We co-created a mobile-based application with SFDW’s field and IT teams that enabled loan officers to perform core MFI operations using mobile phones. We also supported the design and pilot of agent-assisted savings deposit and withdrawal services to enhance client accessibility.

As part of the engagement, MSC conducted a strategic business planning workshop and designed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to streamline operations and enable real-time data access from the field. The field application was pilot-tested for usability, and product features were refined based on customer feedback and usage analytics.

As a result of MSC’s support, SFDW successfully opened over 350,000 voluntary savings accounts and built a portfolio valued at USD 10 million. The disbursement amount increased by 12 times, from BDT 87.3 million (USD 1.02 million) in July 2019 to BDT 1,108.07 million (USD 13.03 million) in June 2021.

This initiative has positioned SFDW to operate more efficiently, manage risks effectively, and better serve its growing customer base.

MetLife Foundation commissioned the project.

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