EBL, BYLC Launch Joyee 2.0 for Women Entrepreneurs

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) has partnered with the Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) to promote the growth and financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. The collaboration will focus on helping women-led businesses strengthen their operations and gain better access to formal financial services.

M Khorshed Anowar, deputy managing director and head of retail and SME banking at EBL, and Habibullah Tamim, acting in-charge and senior manager at BYLC, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations at a ceremony in Dhaka, according to a press release.

The partnership will be implemented through a six-month initiative titled “Joyee 2.0” or the Women Entrepreneurs’ Growth and Access-to-Finance Program. The program is designed to provide participating entrepreneurs with practical support to improve their businesses and prepare for greater access to financing.

Key Highlights:

• EBL and BYLC have launched Joyee 2.0 to support women entrepreneurs
• The program will provide 40 women with training, mentorship and business support
• The initiative aims to improve women entrepreneurs’ access to finance and networks

As part of the initiative, 40 women entrepreneurs will receive structured training, mentorship, business growth assistance, financial management guidance and loan-readiness support. The program aims to help participants scale their enterprises while strengthening their ability to access formal financial services.

The initiative aims to tackle critical barriers for women entrepreneurs such as access to business knowledge, network, mentorship and financing, by leveraging BYLC's leadership and entrepreneurship development experience and EBL's financial inclusion and small and medium enterprise (SME) growth focus.

The signing ceremony was attended by Tanzeri Hoque (Head of Priority & Women Banking), Md Shabu Munshi (Head of SME Business) and Shakil Ahmed Himel (Associate Manager – Women Banking) of EBL.

On the occasion, Imtiaj Uddin Ahmed, senior manager of grants management and business development, Kazi Shams Imtiaz Barta, assistant manager of the office of professional development and Farabi Muntasir, executive of the skills development program at BYLC were also present.

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The project is part of EBL's ongoing work around financial inclusion of women and the development of entrepreneurship among women. The bank offers business accounts, financing and business management to women entrepreneurs under the guidance of its Women Banking platform with training and support related to access to finance for women entrepreneurs.

EBL has created special financing solutions for women entrepreneurs. Its EBL Mukti SME loan is provided to women entrepreneurs and women led businesses and it also offers business development services and training to enhance the financial and management skills of entrepreneurs.

The bank has previously reported its lending activities of loans to women entrepreneurs. It has also created women's loan opportunities through disbursement of loans to 265 women entrepreneurs for BDT 947.37 million during 2023, in addition to the growth of women deposit and retail loan portfolio, EBL said.

The partnership also fits well into BYLC's overall leadership and entrepreneurship development efforts. Founded in 2009, BYLC operates programs in the areas of leadership, professional development and entrepreneurship, and claims it has trained thousands of young Bangladeshis to date.