Al-Arafah Rural Development Program (ARDP) is a comprehensive initiative to addressing the specific challenges faced by rural communities. In front of the slogan “Village will be city” the activities of Al-Arafah Rural Development Program (ARDP) was launched in an effort to serve the rural population of the country by developing their socio-economic conditions, conducting retail investment activities in the rural economy, developing saving attitude based on Islamic shariah and creating transaction opportunities with Islamic banks through investment. The main objective of the program is to include the large rural population through financial inclusion and implementation of Bangladesh Banks refinancing schemes employment generating initiative under the CMSME policy of Bangladesh bank.
The ARDP program supports the socio- economic development of farmers, laborer, fisherman, small traders and small entrepreneurs. Another important objective of this program is to prioritize the economic employment of rural woman entrepreneurs. ARDP Program are conducted on individual, group and association basis. Collateral is not required to get investment under the program. The mode of Investment repayment is based on weekly/monthly installments. ARDP activities are being conducted at a total 286 work stations, including 23 sub-branches and 105 agent outlets through 158 link branches with around 400 skilled manpower. In the future, efforts are being made to extend this program to all branches of the bank to conduct activities in remote areas.
| Sl | Performance of ARDP | Number |
| 01 | No. of Branches under ARDP | 158 |
| 02 | No of Sub-Branches under ARDP | 23 |
| 03 | No. of Agent Outlets under ARDP | 106 |
| 04 | No. of Samity | 3737 |
| 05 | No. of Groups | 15660 |
| 06 | No. of Members in the Program (existing) | 78300 |
| 07 | % of Women members in the Program | 80% |
| 08 | Cumulative Disbursement | 1200 Crore |
| 09 | Present Outstanding | 425 Crore |
| 10 | Percentage of Recovery | 98% |
| 11 | Balance of Members’ Savings (MSD/ITD & Others) | 300 Crore |
Al-Arafah Rural Development Program (ARDP) may offer various investment products aimed at promoting sustainable development, enhancing agricultural productivity and improving the livelihoods of rural communities. The Products are:
ARDP has launched several deposit schemes to collect deposits from low-income people living in remote areas and to develop their saving attitude. These products are often designed to encourage savings, promote financial inclusion and support the growth of rural economies. The Products are:
