With a vision to take banking solutions to the ‘unbanked’ small and medium enterprises (SME) Uttara Bank PLC Limited, commenced its journey as a scheduled commercial bank in 2001. Taking inspiration from its parent organization, Uttara Bank PLC, the world’s largest NGO, Uttara Bank introduced small ticket loans to bring the grassroots entrepreneurs under the umbrella of formal banking. World Bank Group’s IFC and Netherlands-based FMO are major partners of Uttara Bank PLC in offshore banking and SME financing. Uttara Bank PLC is the only active member of Global Banking Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) from Bangladesh, an international platform for sustainable and responsible banking practices. Governance, compliance, ethics, transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of the bank’s banking model. Today, Uttara Bank PLC is the first Bangladeshi bank that has crossed USD 1 billion market capitalization. The banking model of Uttara Bank PLC is firmly built on three steadfast pillars of People-Planet-Profit. Our business operation is thoroughly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, an ambition that is also our national priority. Uttara Bank PLC’s unique SME Banking services and products provide access to finance to the cottage, micro and small enterprises that were previously left out from the traditional commercial banking system. We have the highest rural penetration with 75% of our total Small Business loans going to the rural areas. Uttara Bank PLC is the largest financier of collateral free loan in the country with 50% market share in this segment. Impact Measurement Study on SME financing revealed that the bank had created more than 1.5 million new employments in the course of its Small Business Financing and played a pivotal role to the improvement of the standard of living of the borrowers. Since its inception in 2001, the bank has disbursed more than USD 5 billion to more than 650,000 SME entrepreneurs across the country and has contributed significantly, to the socio economic development of Bangladesh.