bKash Payroll Solution: Convenience for all in RMG

"Every month, before the payday, I couldn't sleep thinking of the long tiring and risky trips to Motijheel to get the cash and return within afternoon. And in case we couldn't make it in time we had to postponed the payday and store all the cash at my home. Those nights were sleepless nightmares. Now, I can sleep at ease during payday because of bKash payroll solution." Md Jamal Uddin Miah, managing director of Jamaluddin Group, said this while sharing the experience of paying the salaries of thousands of workers instantly on digital platforms like bKash. 

Like Md Jamal Uddin Miah, more than 1100 companies in the country are using bKash's payroll solution for salary disbursement due to its easy, safe, transparent and instant salary disbursement facility, reads a press statement.

bKash launched digital payroll solution in 2015. Since then many of the RMG entrepreneurs are using this solution to disburse salaries of workers and employees within seconds. It not only saves valuable work hours but also relieves users from the security concerns of carrying cash. It also reduces issues like counterfeit money or carrying changes; and makes salary disbursement easier, transparent and accountable.

Inamul Haq Khan, managing director of Ananta Group, said, "Before using bKash's payroll solution, the factory had to take additional security measures, extra manpower and microbuses to transport money under police guard. But now there is no need to spend money on such special arrangements."

Not only the owners but also the employees and workers have been saved from numerous hassles and risks due to the use of this solution. They have been empowered in real sense, especially women. 60% of the almost half a million workers in the garment industry are women.

Regarding their empowerment, Inamul Haq further said, "Receiving wages from bKash has enabled women workers in garment factories to establish more control over their hard-earned money than ever before. They are spending cautiously and the rest is remaining in the account, with which they get the opportunity to take services like savings."

According to Better than Cash Alliance's survey titled "Digitising Wage Payments in Bangladesh's Garment Production Sector (2017)", factory authorities need 18 minutes to pay a worker's monthly salary using the traditional method, which wastes 750 working hours per month for a factory of 2,500 workers. 

Due to numerous benefits, salaries and allowances of more than 1 million employees and workers of more than 1,100 factories of the country's garment industry are currently being disbursed using bKash's digital payroll solution. Eight other leading apparel industry players have recently joined the solution.

Employees and workers are now getting the opportunity to improve their financial management by using their salaries digitally through bKash payroll solution. They can take digital nano loans, savings, insurance and many other financial services from banks and financial institutions through their bKash account.

However, it is important to ensure the security of customers' money. Kamal Quadir, founder and chief executive officer of bKash said, "bKash payroll solution is one of such products that is catering more than 1 million employees and workers of the country's largest export earning industry. By building a convenient, secure and sustainable digital payment ecosystem for them we aspire to enhance capacity of their financial management."

Not only disbursing salary, bKash is also working on building a sustainable ecosystem of digital payment for RMG workers. As part of it, bKash has been setting up 'fair price' shop 'Sulov Bazar' and Apon Bazar' at different factory premises where workers can buy daily essentials at lower price through bKash payment. 

bKash has also been installing automatic sanitary napkin vending machine in factories for the female workers to avail the necessary health-product without any hassle.

In addition, bKash has been organizing training workshops on safe use of MFS in factory premises to make workers aware about financial management. bKash has also installed dedicated customer service centres in labour-intensive areas, agent points near factory gates and workers' residences, and merchant infrastructure is being developed.