The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and upay, one of the fastest growing mobile financial service providers in the country, signed an agreement to disburse stipends through upay. 

Faruque Hassan, President of BGMEA, and Rezaul Hossain, Managing Director and CEO of upay inked the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

Under this agreement, the participants of the BGMEA-SEIP skill development project, an initiative for skill development of mid-level officials and workers in the RMG sector, would receive their stipend directly into their upay accounts.

The BGMEA-SEIP is jointly funded by Bangladesh Government and Asian Development Bank, and being implemented by BGMEA.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, “The RMG industry is gearing up for the next level of growth where skill development is a top priority to equip the workforce with the skills and knowledge to meet the need of the industry in the coming days. BGMEA has taken a number of initiatives to digitize its services to ensure quick, efficient and smooth services to all member factories, which are in alignment with the government’s vision of Digital Bangladesh.”

Rezaul Hossain, the Managing Director and CEO of upay, said, “We are thankful to BGMEA for selecting upay to disburse stipend among the participants of the BGMEA-SEIP skill-building project. The RMG industry has been the lifeblood of our economy for decades, accounting for more than 81 percent of the country’s total export earnings. This project will help the receivers of the training to hone their skills and contribute more to the industry.”  

upay, a subsidiary of United Commercial Bank, launched its operation in March 2021. upay customers enjoy a range of services, including fund transfer, utility bill payment, merchant payment, airtime recharge, traffic-fine payment, Indian visa fee payment, receiving inward remittances, salary and government social safety net, and other value-added financial services.

BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Directors Rajiv Chowdhury and Neela Hosna Ara, and Jishnu Roy Chowdhury, Advisor, upay were also present at agreement signing ceremony held at BGMEA Complex in Dhaka on September 15.