Agriculture, Bangladesh's largest employment sector, has 36 million farmers, most of whom are financially excluded. Lacking access to credit and savings, these unbanked farmers are trapped in poverty, exacerbated by value chain inequities. They perceive banks as inaccessible, believing they lack investable surplus for services. Committed to financial inclusion, UCB sought to make banking relevant to this underserved population, leveraging their existing resources and way of life. 

Sowing the Seeds of Financial Freedom 

Famous

Farmers' only asset is fresh produce, but without storage, they race against spoilage. Desperate, they sell to middlemen at low prices, who then profit by selling in bulk. Farmers start each day with valuable commodities that lose worth by nightfall. What if farmers could sell their surplus produce at a fair price to those with storage, depositing returns directly into a new bank account? AgroBanking is a first-of-its-kind solution, solving farmers' access to banking and fair prices for excess produce. 

Effective

• 122,000+ new bank accounts opened by previously unbanked farmers 

• $4.73M worth of fresh produce transformed into savings deposits 

• Generated interest from stakeholders in Asia, Africa, and Latin America for potential global adaptation