Under Swisscontact’s Sarathi — Progress through Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh project, Enroute worked to reduce the financial vulnerability of workers across 49 Ready-Made Garment factories in Dhaka by integrating them into the formal banking ecosystem. The assignment addressed structural gaps in financial literacy, accessibility barriers, and commercial banking constraints that kept large sections of the RMG workforce outside the formal financial sector.
Enroute deployed a dual-track implementation strategy operating on both the demand and supply sides simultaneously. A baseline diagnostic and needs assessment across targeted factories informed the design of all subsequent interventions.
On the demand side, community-wide financial awareness campaigns reached approximately 200,000 individuals, introducing them to the benefits of formal banking. From this group, 17,850 core workers received intensive classroom-based financial literacy training covering salary management, household budget planning, and savings strategies. Continuous counseling and advisory support helped workers navigate banking procedures and access credit opportunities throughout the project lifecycle.
On the supply side, Enroute built and managed institutional partnerships with 49 RMG factories and 4 commercial banks, co-creating and piloting sustainable, low-income commercial banking models suited to high-volume factory workforces. Enroute directly managed the end-to-end account facilitation and onboarding process, transitioning workers from cash-based vulnerability to formal financial participation.
