Award-winning agri-fintech startup iFarmer Limited has signed an insurance policy for the benefit of its permanent and contractual employees and their families. Under this agreement, permanent employees of iFarmer, their spouse/one child, and parents above 69 years of age will get medical expenses benefits as per the insurance policy. iFarmer did not just think about their permanent employees. All employees working temporarily will also get their life insurance and hospital accommodation benefits as per the contract from now on.
The signing ceremony occurred at the head office of iFarmer at Gulshan, where Fahad Ifaz, Co-Founder and CEO of iFarmer and MR. S. M. Ziaul Hoque, FLMI, Chief Executive Officer of Chartered Life Insurance formalized the agreement on behalf of their companies. Esteemed officials iFarmer including Jamil M Akbar, Co-Founder and COO; Aleya Pervin Leena, Head of People & Culture; Amit Paul, Assistant Manager, People & Culture; Sajid Tahsin Khan, Senior Executive, Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Management; Nasifur Rahman, Senior Executive, People Operations was present during the signing. Among others, Mr. Rajan Chandra Saha, Head of Corporate Business, Mr. S. M. Sayeed Hussain, MBA, ALMI (USA), Head of ADC, Innovation & Branding, Mr. Md. Kamrul Ahsan Mozumder, Head of Corporate Operations, Mr. Md. Kamran Hasan Mazumder, Deputy Manager, Corporate Business of Chartered Life Insurance also attended the ceremony.
iFarmer has been actively functioning to empower local farmers and small/micro-scale agri-entrepreneurs by providing them with financing, consultation, insurance, and ensuring access to markets. While the organization efforts continue to project positive outcomes in the lives of the beneficiary farmers, iFarmer has also remained duly concerned for the wellbeing of its employees and has consistently upheld best practices to improve the overall lifestyle for them and their families. Now, the responsible organization has extended comprehensive health insurance coverage, reaffirming its commitment to employee welfare.
On this note, Fahad Ifaz, Co-Founder and CEO of iFarmer, said, “We outline our organizational roadmap in the most inclusive and welcoming manner so that each employee can feel a sense of belonging. We value all of our permanent and temporary employees, and this is our acknowledgment of the hard work they put in every day. It has been a pleasure to have Chartered Life Insurance as our partner in this process”.
TikTok, in collaboration with the Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF), hosted by the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), celebrated the achievements of the top 10 winners of the #CreateOnTikTok competition in a ceremony at Cineplex, SKS Tower, Mohakhali, on January 29, 2024. The occasion highlighted the creativity of individuals who used TikTok for storytelling through short films.
The #CreateOnTikTok competition, a part of TikTok latest initiative to empower content creators to craft short films using their mobile devices, culminated with the screening of the winners films. The event showcased various storytelling techniques in vertical video format, offering a glimpse into the evolving digital content creation landscape.
The selected winners are Abrar Zahin, Rayed Zakwan, Ahnaf Ali, Ashrafuddin Rahat, Sadiqul Islam, Sheikh Taseen, Isfar Mostakim, Takdir Talha, Rony Sharafat, and Mohammad Rafsan. They received certificates from TikTok, recognizing their contribution to digital content creation.
The winners expressed their gratitude and excitement over this unique opportunity. "Thankful to TikTok and ULAB for bringing a change in short-form content creation through #CreateOnTikTok competition and recognizing creators for their creative stories that are portrayed in vertical format. I am delighted to be a part of it.," said Ahnaf Ali, reflecting the sentiment of many participants.
By facilitating the submission of films through DIMFF social media pages and a dedicated TikTok micro-site, the campaign has opened new doors for filmmakers, enabling them to present their stories to a wider audience. The jury for the campaign, comprising Director Zahid Gogon, Film Critic Sadia Khalid Reeti, and Director Nazmul Hasan Shukorno, underscored the campaign commitment to excellence and innovation in digital storytelling.
Uber today rolled out the round-trip feature on its flagship long-distance product, Intercity. The new feature will allow passengers to book single or multi-day return on outstation travels with Uber, while retaining the same car and driver. The new feature empowers users with a much higher level of flexibility and convenience on their business or leisure trips. Riders can now book outstation round trips from Dhaka to any city for as many as 5 days. The vehicle and the driver will be with the rider through the duration, with the enhanced flexibility of adding stops as they go. The option to reserve rides up to 90 days in advance has been designed to help in better journeys for planned, outstation travel. The feature is beneficial for drivers, too, as this gives them the option to lock in higher earnings and plan their days ahead. The fare for round trips includes waiting time and overnight lodging fees (for multi-day trips) to ensure the drivers are compensated for their time. Commenting on the launch of the new feature, Nasheed Ferdous Kamal, Country Head, Bangladesh, said, “The roundtrip feature on Intercity is a great addition to travelers seeking extended flexibility and convenience. Outstation travel has largely been an unorganised market so far, and Intercity round trips change that game entirely with the host safety and tracking features available on all Uber rides. We are excited to redefine the future of long-distance road travel.” This will also further eliminate the hassle of manually booking a local rent-a-car service for a travel journey; with the added advantage of tracking the journey through the app, making the trip safer and much more reliable.
Visa, the global leader in digital payments, today announced the launch of the fourth edition of Visa Accelerator Program with an open call for applications.
The initiative aims to enable startups in Bangladesh to unlock growth potential by collaborating with Visa payments experts. The 2024 edition focuses on new opportunity areas – Artificial Intelligence (AI), Global Money Movement and Loyalty of the Future, with an emphasis on areas like Digital Acceptance for Micro, Small and Medium Businesses (MSMBs) and Embedded Finance.
Speaking on the launch of the program, Soumya Basu, Country Manager, Visa Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, said, “We are delighted to invite up-and-coming payment innovations of the country to the Visa Accelerator Program and power their solutions with Visa. The Program offers startups a unique opportunity to work with our subject matter experts to enhance and test their solutions with real-world opportunities, building a runway for growth. We aim to drive the next wave of momentum for global payments by enabling seamless, safe money movement through positive payments experiences.”
Tailored for companies in the pivotal expansion stage, the program will emphasise on development of proof of concept, product solutioning and fast-tracked commercialization, arming startups with potential collaboration and accelerated growth. A select group of startups from across the Asia-Pacific region will, through the program, address evolving challenges of the payment ecosystem. They will also co-develop, test, and iterate new solutions and leverage Visa extensive network of financial institutions, merchants and digital partners to pursue tangible go-to-market opportunities. Launched in 2020, the Visa Accelerator Program has consistently supported advanced stage startups with experienced mentors, cutting-edge technology, and opened doors to investment opportunities.
Applications for this edition of the Program will close on March 8, 2024. The selected startups will engage in the program from May to November 2024, culminating with a Demo Day later.
Startups interested to know more and submit applications can visit www.visa.com.sg/apaccelerator