BRAC Bank Ltd.支持的bKash Ltd.是孟加拉国最大的移动金融服务提供商，计划在推进支付业务之外，向其8500万客户扩大贷款业务。
Group Corp.-backed bKash Ltd., Bangladesh’s largest mobile financial services provider, plans to expand lending to its 85 million customers as it pushes beyond payments.
“我们已经开展的贷款业务仅占我们收入的很小一部分，”bKash创始人兼首席执行官卡马尔·夸迪尔在新德里新经济论坛的边会上接受彭博电视采访时表示。“但我认为，随着我们凭借自身牌照扩大规模，这将带来更好的、更好的结果。”该公司最近获得孟加拉国银行的初步批准，以建立一家数字银行，加入了南亚国家推动在线金融服务扩张的更广泛行列。
“The lending that we have already done that represents a very, very small part of our, income,” Kamal Quadir, founder and CEO of bKash told Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the New Economy Forum in New Delhi. “But I think as we scale it up with our own license, I think that that’s going to give a better, better result.”The company recently received an initial approval from Bangladesh Bank to establish a digital bank, joining a broader push by the South Asian country to expand online financial services.
此举可能使bKash能够在此前与银行合作开展的贷款业务基础上继续发展。据夸迪尔透露，该公司已为约400万人提供了超过10亿美元的贷款，还款率达到96%。
The move could allow bKash to build on a lending business it has developed in partnership with banks. The company has already facilitated more than $1 billion in loans to about 4 million people, according to Quadir, who said it has achieved a repayment rate of 96%.
bKash成立于2011年，通过让传统银行服务覆盖有限的人群能够通过手机转账、支付账单和使用金融服务，推动了孟加拉国支付方式的变革。作为BRAC Bank Ltd.的子公司，bKash在全国范围内运营着超过35万名代理商和90万名商户的网络。
Founded in 2011, the company has helped transform payments in Bangladesh, allowing millions of people with limited access to traditional banking to transfer money, pay bills and access financial services through mobile phones. The company, a subsidiary of BRAC Bank Ltd., operates a network of more than 350,000 agents and 900,000 merchants nationwide.
通过交易历史和消费模式，bKash旨在评估可能缺乏传统信用记录的借款人，并根据其需求定制贷款产品。夸迪尔表示，潜在产品包括为农民购买肥料提供融资、为小企业提供流动资金以及为消费者购买生产性资产提供贷款。
Using transaction histories and spending patterns, bKash aims to assess borrowers who may lack conventional credit records and tailor loans to their needs. Potential products include financing for farmers buying fertilizers, small businesses seeking working capital and consumers purchasing productive assets, Quadir said.
“我们每天有超过2000万笔交易，”他说，指的是公司的日交易量。他补充称，目前贷款业务仅占收入很小的一部分，但随着业务扩张，其贡献有望增加。
“We are having 20 million-plus transaction every day,” he said, referring to the company’s daily transaction volumes. He added lending currently accounts for a very small part of revenue but could contribute more as the business expands.
随着软银将重点转向人工智能和基础设施，其业务也在扩张。当被问及这一转变是否改变了其与bKash的关系时，首席执行官表示，他并未看到日本投资集团对该业务施加新的方向。
The expansion comes as investor SoftBank sharpens its focus on artificial intelligence and infrastructure. Asked whether that shift had changed its relationship with bKash, the chief executive said he did not see the Japanese investment group imposing a new direction on the business.