BRAC Bank Wins ADB Women in Business Champion Award 2026

BRAC Bank PLC has received the Women in Business Champion Award at the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 12th Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program Awards in Singapore in September 2026. The international recognition acknowledges the Bangladeshi lender’s efforts to expand women’s economic participation through improved access to finance, entrepreneurial skills, and ecosystem support. 

The award highlights BRAC Bank’s women-focused banking proposition, TARA, and its dedicated SME Women Entrepreneur Cell, headed by Khadija Mariam. The initiatives provide women entrepreneurs with customised credit solutions, advisory support and capacity-building programmes designed to help them overcome structural barriers formalise their businesses and scale their operations. 

Key Highlights: 

• BRAC Bank wins ADB’s Women in Business Champion Award in Singapore
• TARA and its SME Women Entrepreneur Cell support women-led businesses  
• Women-focused SME lending reached BDT 2,608 crore by the end of 2025 

According to the bank, these efforts have contributed to greater participation by women in the economy, while supporting job creation and sustainable business growth across Bangladesh. 

BRAC Bank Managing Director and CEO Tareq Refat Ullah Khan said the recognition reinforced the bank’s belief that empowering women entrepreneurs is essential to building a more inclusive and resilient economy. He credited the bank’s employees for developing solutions based on the challenges faced by women-led businesses and dedicated the achievement to women entrepreneurs. 

The award was received on behalf of BRAC Bank by Farhana Sharmin Sumi, Senior HR Business Partner (Retail Banking and Treasury), and Zakia Jalil, Head of Unit-2 (Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking). 

Senior ADB officials attending the ceremony included Keiko Nowcka, Director and Head of the Gender Equality Division; Steven Beck, Director and Head of the Trade and Supply Chain Finance Division; and Neha Noronha, Unit Head for South Asia within the Trade and Supply Chain Finance Division. 

The 12th annual ADB awards brought together partner financial institutions from across Asia and the Pacific to recognise achievements in regional trade and supply chain financing. 

BRAC Bank’s latest honour adds to its track record in women-focused banking. In 2025, the bank received the Gender Data Champion Award from the Financial Alliance for Women, marking its seventh recognition from the organisation for using gender-disaggregated data to better understand and serve women customers through TARA. 

By the end of 2025, TARA served more than 336,000 women customers, representing a 22% year-on-year increase. BRAC Bank’s women-focused SME lending portfolio reached BDT 2,608 crore, also rising by more than 22% year-on-year, while deposits in the segment increased by 67% to BDT 2,873 crore. 

The latest ADB recognition further highlights BRAC Bank’s continued focus on gender-inclusive banking and its efforts to strengthen financial and business opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.