EBL embedding CSR into long-term development goals

At Eastern Bank, we've never been particularly interested in treating CSR as a visibility exercise. For us, the real question is simple: does it create measurable change, and can it last? If the answer to either is no, then it's probably not worth doing. That's where we draw the line between impact and optics.

Take our scholarship programme with the Dhaka University Alumni Association. We've been supporting students in higher education through this initiative since 2007. It's not a one-off campaign; it's something we've stayed with over time because we believe human capital development needs consistency. The same thinking applies to our partnership with SOS Children's Villages Bangladesh. We don't just fund training—we make sure trainees are placed in jobs. Without that last step, the impact would remain incomplete.

In healthcare, our work with icddr,b's Matlab Hospital is focused on strengthening newborn care, especially through the Kangaroo Mother Care unit. On the environmental side, our partnership on Bhasan Char with Nou Kollan Foundation Trading Company Limited is about something quite practical—coastal afforestation and making embankments more resilient. Altogether, these efforts have reached over 1.6 million people. That number matters, but what matters more to us is whether the impact holds up over time.

If our CSR budget were to double tomorrow, I'd put it behind two areas without hesitation: climate resilience and women's economic empowerment. Bangladesh doesn't have the luxury of treating climate change as a distant concern. The scale of the challenge demands sustained, large-scale interventions. Our work on Bhasan Char, covering about 65 square kilometres with a contribution of Tk7.40 million—has already shown us what's possible, but it's just a starting point.

At the same time, there's a clear case for doing more for women's empowerment. We're already working on financial literacy, supporting women entrepreneurs—including those with disabilities and building women-focused banking solutions. But these are still relatively small in scale. With more resources, we could take these efforts nationwide, focusing on entrepreneurship, access to finance, and skills development.

The constraint, to be honest, hasn't been a lack of intent. It's more about structure and scale. CSR budgets are guided by regulatory frameworks and need to be spread across different sectors. And areas like climate resilience or women's empowerment require long-term collaboration across multiple stakeholders—they can't be solved through short-term funding cycles.

That's also why we don't see ESG as something separate from the business. It's increasingly part of how we think and operate. We're aligning our financing with more sustainable sectors, and we're building products that improve access to finance for underserved groups, especially women and young entrepreneurs. Governance, of course, has always been non-negotiable; strong risk management and transparency are built into how we work.

CSR fits into this as a kind of testing ground. It allows us to try out ideas, address gaps, and learn what works. Over time, some of these ideas find their way into our core business. You could say CSR gives us the space to experiment, but with purpose.

Its influence on our decision-making is quite real. Working across education, healthcare, and environmental projects has changed how we think about long-term value. It has shaped how we approach inclusion and sustainability, and even how we design financial products. More importantly, it has shifted internal thinking—there's now a stronger understanding that profitability and responsibility are closely linked.

When we design initiatives in areas like health, education, or the environment, we try to avoid one-off interventions. Instead, we look at the system as a whole. In education, that means sustained support for students. In employability, it means connecting skills training directly to jobs. In healthcare, it's about strengthening systems like neonatal care. And in environmental work, it's about combining ecological restoration with infrastructure resilience.

In the end, we come back to three things: partnerships, scalability, and continuity. CSR, at least the way we see it, isn't about doing more for the sake of it. It's about focusing on what matters—and staying with it long enough to make a real difference.

EBL strengthens its CSR focus on education and skills development 

In Eastern Bank PLC's (EBL) CSR philosophy, education is not treated as a standalone initiative—it is seen as a long-term investment in people, productivity and progress. At the centre of this approach is a simple belief: when young people are equipped with the right skills and opportunities, they don't just change their own lives—they reshape the future of the country.

Illustration: TBS

A major pillar of this effort is EBL's long-standing partnership with the Dhaka University Alumni Association (DUAA), which began in 2007. What started as a shared commitment to support deserving students has grown into a sustained scholarship programme for both meritorious and underprivileged students of the University of Dhaka. So far, around 150 students across 74 departments have benefited, each receiving Tk30,000 annually, with total contributions reaching Tk4.50 million. Behind these figures is a consistent effort to ensure that financial hardship does not interrupt academic potential. The selection process remains strictly merit-based and transparent, reinforcing trust in the programme year after year.

EBL's focus on education also extends to national-level inclusion. Its contribution of Tk4.80 million in 2025 to the Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust reflects an alignment with broader state efforts to widen access to education. The fund helps underprivileged students meet essential academic costs such as tuition fees, stipends and admission expenses—small interventions that often make the difference between continuing education and dropping out.

Beyond conventional schooling, EBL has steadily expanded its support to include children with special needs. In 2025, the bank contributed Tk2.00 million to Proyash Institute of Special Education, strengthening infrastructure and learning support systems. It has also supported Dhrubotara Welfare Society, which works with children with autism and developmental challenges, focusing on education, therapy and family support. These initiatives reflect a quieter but deeply important aspect of inclusion—ensuring that children who learn differently are not left behind.

Another meaningful step has been EBL's partnership with Footsteps Bangladesh to develop "Britto Children Libraries." With a contribution of Tk1.50 million, unused classrooms are being transformed into sensory-friendly, child-centric learning spaces designed to encourage reading, creativity and engagement among children with special needs.

At the same time, EBL is investing in skills-based education through its collaboration with SOS Children's Villages Bangladesh. The Tk3.57 million programme trains underprivileged youth in technical trades such as electronics, automotive, refrigeration and electrical work, along with financial literacy training. Importantly, it ensures immediate job placement after completion, linking learning directly to livelihoods.

Taken together, EBL's education-focused CSR efforts reflect a clear direction: building pathways from learning to opportunity, and from opportunity to long-term social mobility.