Robi sets out to promote smartphones in the rural communities

Dhaka, 30 September 2019: The leading digital company, Robi, entered into a tripartite agreement with a micro-insurance provider, Arthik, and a coastal based non-Government development organization, Sangram in order to facilitate people in the rural communities of the country to avail smartphones.

This unique agreement is aimed at ensuring digital inclusion of the rural communities, through adoption of smartphone usage in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Robi’s Executive Vice President, New Business & M-Money Products, Ahmed Armaan Siddiqui, Arthik’s Managing Director, Khalid Hossain and Sangram’s Director, HRM & Admin, Chowdhury Mohammad Moin signed the tripartite agreement at the Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation located in Agargaon, Dhaka in presence of PKSF’s Deputy Managing Director, Md. Fazlul Kader.

The agreement allows the people in the far-flung communities to get the opportunity of using smartphone with conveniently priced EMI facility without having any credit card or even bank accounts.

Arthik will work as the digital inclusion aggregator platform who will be responsible for arranging the micro-insurance facility for all the handsets sold under this agreement by Robi. Sangram, the NGO, on the other hand, will analyze the credit behavior of their beneficiaries and encourage them to avail the smartphone from Robi.

They will also arrange different training and awareness program to promote the mobile handset financing program. The micro-insurance provided by Arthik will work as the safety net for Sangram in case, anyone defaults on the loans taken from Sangram for purchasing the handset.

Robi’s General Manager, New Business & M-Money Products, A M Shakhawath Hossain, Manager, New Business & M-Money Products, Raju Ahamed and Arthik’s Director, Tabassum Al- Atter and Nafiur Rahman were present on the occasion.