Online Desk: Bangladeshi freelancers’ earnings per hour remain less than their capacity compared to their counterparts in other countries.

Considering this, up-skilling them through training and providing required infrastructure at the grassroots level are vital for using their potentials which will ultimately help build the country’s smart economy.

This was observed at a panel discussion on “Freelancing: Moving towards a Smart Bangladesh” jointly organised by the Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) in association with Bangladesh Freelancer Development Society (BFDS) at the bank’s head office in the city’s Gulshan area on Sunday.

Planning Minister M A Mannan attended the event as the chief guest. EBL Managing Director and CEO Ali Reza Iftekhar, Additional Secretary to the Commerce Ministry Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, and Director General of the ICT Department Md. Mostafa Kamal took part in the panel discussion moderated by BFDS Chairperson Dr. Tanjiba Rahman.

Addressing the freelancers, Planning Minister M A Mannan said the government was working to provide all required supports so that people from remote regions of the country including freelancers could work and earn foreign currency.

“Cyber world offers limitless opportunities, which the youths need to tap with their full potential,” he said.

Taking part in the panel discussion, Mr Mostafa Kamal said Bangladeshi freelancers were earning $15 per hour on an average while their counterparts in neighbouring countries were earning above $20 per hour.

Their earnings could get a boost through up-skilling, he said.

Highlighting the potentials of freelancing, he said graduates from any discipline could become freelancers and earn more than what the mainstream jobs offered.

Abdur Rahim Khan said Bangladesh with its aim to become a smart and developed country by 2041 should utilise the scopes like freelancing which offered unlimited opportunities.

EBL CEO Ali Reza Iftekhar said freelancing was such an industry that did not require any initial investment, but had huge potential.

“Freelancing is set to become a $10 billion industry by 2026,” he said adding that EBL is one of the first banks to launch a specialised product for freelancers.

According to the information available with the bank, EBL Freelancer Product Suite consists of a Foreign Currency Account bundled with any EBL Current or EBL Savings Account. Upto 35 per cent of freelancing income can be kept in EBL Freelancer Account as foreign currency, the rest will be credited to the EBL BDT Account. The accounts come with International Debit Cards and customers can avail Credit Cards as well. Ahmed Shaheen, Additional Managing Director and Head of Corporate Banking, M Khorshed Anowar, DMD and Head of Retail & SME Banking of EBL and other senior bank officials, along with top freelancers of the country were present at the event.