mSTAR: Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research Activity Profile - Bangladesh
The USAID/Bangladesh mSTAR activity supports the acceleration and adoption of mobile money and electronic payments (e-payments) within the USAID Mission’s programs, with a specific emphasis on health and agriculture. Implementation of this activity began in September 2013 and ran until September 2017.
Technical resources and reports produced by the mSTAR Bangladesh team are listed below. If you would like to stay up to date on new publications and other news, sign up for the monthly mSTAR Bangladesh Newsflash.
Mobile Money Snapshots describe the experiences of USAID- and non-USAID-funded organizations that have begun to replace cash with digital payments so that others can apply their lessons learned to their own transition to digital payments.
- English in Action
- HelpAge International
- PROSHAR Cash for Work Program
- TB Care II
- Chars Livelihoods Program
- Save the Children
- Department of Youth Development
- Use Cases of Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh (by Beneficiary)
- Use Cases of Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh (by Payment Type)
Infosheets provide information on different digital financial services available in Bangladesh so that USAID implementing partners can make more informed decisions when choosing a provider.
- Mobile Financial Services Comparison Chart
- bKash
- ROCKET (formerly DBBL Mobile Banking)
- mCash
- MYCash
- UCash
- IFIC Mobile Banking
- Trust Bank Mobile Money
- SureCash
- OK Banking
- Bank Asia Limited Agent Banking
- DBBL Agent Banking
- TeleCash
- NRB Commercial Bank Agent Banking
- Tap 'n Pay
Tipsheets assist USAID implementing partners in Bangladesh to more effectively make use of digital financial services.
- 5 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Mobile Financial Services Provider
- Potential Issues and Mitigation Approaches
- Common Myths about Mobile Money
- Checklist for Rolling Out Mobile Money
- Bridging the Mobile Financial Services Gender Divide
- Measuring the Benefit of Mobile Money
- A Primer for Audit Preparedness
- Agent Banking 101
Mobile Money Experiences describe individual accounts of using mobile money and the impact it has on one's life.
- The Perpetual Hunt for Change: Mostofa's Story
- Safer, Faster, Better: Sajib’s Story of Mobile Money
- Empowering Frontline Health Workers: Farida’s Story
- Avoiding Theft in Urban Slums: Khadija's Story
- From Farmer to Mobile Money Champ: Sagor's Story
- Increasing Financial Independence through Mobile Money: Kallani's Story
- Easier Than a Bank Account: Razzak's Story
- Less Stress, at both Work and Home: Anamika's Story
- Mobile Money Helps Managers Better Monitor Frontline Staff: Sanaur's Story
- Increased Income Earning Opportunities: Bala’s Story
- Increasing Operational Efficiency and Farmers’ Savings: Milton’s Story
- Extending Credit to Rural Farmers: Jashim’s Story
Case Studies vary in nature and describe different aspects of transitioning from cash to digital payments.
- Mobile Money Case Study: A Comparison between Cash and Mobile Payments in Dnet’s Aponjon Program
- Mobile Money Case Study: A Comparison between Cash and Mobile Payments in WorldFish's Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) Project
- Mobile Money Case Study: A Closer Look at Opportunities for Mobile Financial Services in the Rice Value Chain in Bangladesh
Infographics capture the time and cost benefits of transitioning to mobile payments from cash, as experienced by development organizations in Bangladesh.
- Infographic comparing cash and mobile payments in Dnet's Aponjon Program
- Cash vs Mobile Payments in the AIN Project, implemented by WorldFish
- Cash vs. Mobile Payments: One project, two very different stories
- A Story of Cash (and Inconvenience)
- Cash vs. Digital Financial Services in Bangladesh The Case of Social Marketing Company
- Opportunities for Digital Financial Services in the Rice Value Chain in Bangladesh
- Digital Financial Services for Agriculture: Opportunities in Bangladesh
- Mobile Payments for Training Allowances: One Project's Experience
- Mobile Financial Services in Rural Bangladesh: Common Challenges and Possible Solutions
- Opportunities to Digitize Transactions in the Agricultural Mechanization Service Value Chain
- mSTAR’s Journey in Bangladesh: A Four Year Retrospective
Digital Financial Service Product Innovations provide insight into digital financial service product innovations that USAID’s mSTAR/Bangladesh activity has helped to introduce to Bangladesh.
- Digital Financial Service Product Innovation #1 - Bank Asia
- Digital Financial Service Product Innovation #2 - IFIC Mobile Banking
Technical Reports vary in nature and are produced based on technical activities.
- Baseline Survey on the Status of Mobile Money Usage by USAID/B IPs
- Insights on Payment Practices in Bangladesh: Cash and Mobile Finance Habits
- Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh: A Survey of Current Services, Regulations, and Usage in Select USAID Projects
- The Transition Benefit: From Cash to Mobile Financial Services in the Aponjon Initiative, Bangladesh
- mSTAR/Bangladesh Midline Evaluation Survey
- The Potential of Using Digital Financial Services for Savings Groups in Bangladesh
- The Transition Benefit: Social Marketing Company’s Experience with Digital Financial Services
- Integrating Digital Financial Services into Agricultural Value Chains: A Bangladesh Market Landscape Assessment
- Opportunities for Digital Financial Services for Agricultural Mechanization in Bangladesh: A Market Landscape Assessment
- mSTAR/Bangladesh Final Evaluation
- Understanding Mobile-Enabled Agri-Credit Adoption Among Rice Farmers
- Assessing the Impact of Digitally-Enabled Microcredit for Smallholder Farmers: Findings from the A-Card pilot initiative
Videos capture the stories of USAID staff and beneficiaries who have benefitted from transitioning to mobile payments from cash.
- Empowering Women through Mobile Money: The experience of a frontline health agent from USAID's MAMA initiative
- Now None of Us Need to Worry About Money: How USAID's AIN Project has Benefited from Mobile Payments
- Less Time Lost, More Outlets Covered: Experiences from the field with mobile money
- 'Initially We Thought It Would Not Work' - SMC's Transition to Mobile Money
- Innovations in Financial Services: One farmer's story with mobile-based agri-credit
- Journey to Mobile Payments: The Story of USAID's ANGeL Project
Training Manuals and Guides are aimed at helping practitioners use digital financial services.
- Training Manual for Using Mobile Money in Bangladesh (in Bangla)
- Mobile Money Training Flipcharts for Farmers (in Bangla)
- Guide to Increasing Women’s Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh through Digital Financial Services
Mobile Money Consultative Group documents include highlights and deliverables that come from the MMCG established by mSTAR/Bangladesh in August 2014.
- Overview
- Meeting Highlights | August 2014
- Meeting Minutes | February 2015
- Meeting Minutes | May 2015
- Meeting Highlights | August 2015
- Meeting Highlights | February 2016
- Meeting Highlights | May 2016
- Meeting Highlights | September 2016
- Meeting Highlights | February 2017
- Meeting Highlights | May 2017
Technical Workshops are designed to increase awareness and educate USAID/Bangladesh IPs working in the health and agriculture sectors on mobile money usage, and are especially beneficial for finance and programmatic staff who wish to learn about the benefits of using mobile money.
- mSTAR Introduction to Mobile Money and Grants | November 2013
- Exploring Mobile Money Payments in Bangladesh | March 2014
- Smart Usage of Mobile Money in Projects & Programs in Bangladesh | June 2014
- Exploring Mobile Money Payments in Agricultural Projects & Programs in Bangladesh | June 2014
- Essentials for Incorporating Mobile Payments into Projects & Programs | September 2014
- The Future of Mobile Payments in USAID Health Projects and Programs | November 2014
- Mobile Money in Action: Myths, Facts and Simulations | February 2015
- Mobile Money Impact: Experiences from the Field | May 2015
- Deep Dive into the Mobile Financial Services Offered in Bangladesh: Presentations by Two Leading Providers | August 2015
- e-Payments: The New Default Payment Method for USAID Implementing Partners – Why, Where, When & How? | October 2015
- Digitizing Payments: From Theory to Practice | February 2016
- Workshop on Digital Payments for AIRN Members through Agent Banking | March 2017
Technical Assistance Reports summarize TA provided by mSTAR/Bangladesh to grantees and other USAID IPs. mSTAR/Bangladesh provides technical assistance to USAID’s health and agriculture implementing partners to adopt mobile money into their project operations. To learn more about mSTAR technical assistance, please see the TA offerings document below.
- Technical Assistance Offerings for Making the Transition from Cash to Digital Payments
- How mSTAR/Bangladesh Can Help Digital Financial Service Providers
- Technical Assistance to the Worldfish Center Report
- Technical Assistance to DAM Report
- Technical Assistance to SMC Report
- Mobile Money Integration Assessment for SPRING Project
- Mobile Money Integration Assessment for Agro-Inputs Project
- Technical Assistance to Save the Children
- Technical Assistance to IRRI Bangladesh
- Technical Assistance to USAID's ANGeL Project
- Technical Assistance to the Agro-Input Retailers Network through the Agro-Inputs Project
- Technical Assistance to Bank Asia Limited
- Technical Assistance to USAID's LPIN Project
- Technical Assistance to USAID's SAPLING Project
Event Reports provide summaries of different events hosted by mSTAR/Bangladesh related to digital financial services and financial inclusion.