Overview

Microentrepreneurs Asia Data Portal is a result of UNCDF’s “Merchants Development Driving Rural Markets” (MDDRM) project funded by the European Union under the Poverty Reduction through Inclusive and Sustainable Markets (PRISM) action. This project is implemented under UNCDF’s The Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations (SHIFT) for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries a regional market-facilitation initiative aiming to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty in SAARC countries by 2021. UNCDF is implementing MDDRM in partnership with Dnet, The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry [FBCCI] and Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity [BDMS]. MDDRM aims to stimulate expansion of digital technologies for Micro-merchant segments by encouraging innovation and linkages between retail and financial services industries. MDDRM primarily focuses its interventions in: Sirajgonj, Tangail, Jamalpur, and Sherpur districts targeting 10,000 retail Micro-merchants. In creating the desired impact on Micro-merchants, the project prioritizes the following 4 areas: 1. Making information and data sets on Micro-merchants available and accessible to policy makers and private sector actors 2. Developing capacity building tools, information and support services for Micro-merchants 3. Raising awareness, educating and sensitizing consumers, policy makers and private sector players 4. Piloting innovative business models aimed for Micro-merchants with FMCGs and DFS providers The platform offers visual exploration of data from the retail Micro-merchants landscape assessment by UNCDF in 2018. 2,100 retail Micro-merchants participated in the study across Bangladesh. Insights from the survey and the data set itself are open to all at Microentrepreneurs Asia.