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Conduct Demand-focused Market Research on Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh [TendersInfo (India)](TendersInfo (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Tenders are invited for Provision of mSTAR, Subcontract to conduct Demand-focused Market Research on Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh. The objective of the research is to increase understanding of how mobile financial services are currently being used by USAID target populations and to identify key focus areas that USAID can address through mSTAR to help transition its implementing partners to mobile financial services, including those at the ecosystem level. This research will form a holistic understanding of the landscape of mobile financial services in Bangladesh from the perspective of potential users. It will assess the impact on financial inclusion of innovative retail payment products and any market and regulatory challenges that may be inhibiting increased inclusion. The research will also build off of a previous landscape assessment conducted in July 2013 to identify issues holding back USAID s implementing partners (IPs) in Bangladesh from making the transition to mobile financial services Mobile money/branchless banking has the potential to extend services to those with limited access to traditional bank accounts and services, particularly those at the bottom of the pyramid, while also reducing transaction costs in terms of commission fees and transport costs. The growing number of mobile phone subscribers across Bangladesh, coupled with entry of service providers and development in technology, has meant that they can potentially be used to include unbanked / under banked into the formal financial sector. Success of mobile money deployments often depend upon a host of different factors often specific to the geography of the deployment. However, based on global experience, three factors can be said to be conducive to potential success: 1. Favorable regulatory environment 2. Presence of customer demand 3. Potential for a lead product which can be delivered using mobile money channels The mSTAR project understands the importance of supporting the nascent mobile banking ecosystem in Bangladesh. To enable this, the logical first step is to understand the current scenario in terms of financial access, regulatory provisions and customer demand; and demonstrate potential business models that can be adopted, adapted and replicated by service providers This assignment will focus on identifying gaps and opportunities related to consumer demand for mobile financial service products, with a particular focus on project beneficiaries of USAID agriculture and health projects. It should build off of the more extensive findings provided through the Financial Inclusion Insights program implemented by Intermedia (more information on the findings for Bangladesh can be found online: http://finclusion.org/country-pages/bangladesh-country-page/). Major organization : FAMILY HEALTH INTERNATIONAL (FHI) Address : Attn:Ataur Rahman 359 Blackwell Street, Suite 200 Durham, NC 27701 Country :United States Email : [email protected] Tender notice number : 3569018001-2014-01 Notice type : Tender Notice Open date : 2014-08-07 Tender documents : T23134996.pdf (c) 2014 Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |