Executive Summary

bKash is a subsidiary of Brac Bank Limited which was inaugurated in the year 2010 in a joint
venture between Bangladesh and Money in Motion, London. Bill and Melinda Foundation and
International Finance Corporation both equity of the company. bKash is promising to make
more of the population under financial services which is fulfilling the target of financial
inclusion of maximum Bangladeshi people by the year 2022. Successful operation of bKash
depends on its information system as it is an app based financial services, information is highly
imperative in this company. Tones of information are being processed by the company as
bKash is not used by one third of the population and crores of money are transacted each and
every day. It is highly important to have a solid information and database system for a company
like bKash o run. Successful operations of information systems make bKash available each
second.

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 Introduction

bKash Limited, a backup of BRAC Bank, began as a joint endeavor between BRAC Bank
Limited, Bangladesh and Money in Motion LLC, USA. In April 2013, International Finance
Corporation (IFC), an individual from the World Bank Group, turned into a value accomplice
and in April 2014, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation turned into the financial specialist of
the organization. The fundamental target of bKash is to guarantee access to a more extensive
scope of monetary administrations for the general population of Bangladesh. It has an
extraordinary concentration to serve the low-pay masses of the nation to accomplish more
extensive money related consideration by giving administrations that are advantageous,
moderate and solid.

Role of Information System

This is the most important part of running an organization. Companies spend millions of
dollars to hire managers who can maintain these information systems. All data which is
needed by a company can be organized and sought after through these information systems
and thus its increases productivity, eases work and last but not the least keeps record of a
company’s most urgent information in the secret of places that an IT manager wants.

The information system of bKash works through a three-tier system. In bKash, there are three
types of accounts: a) Merchant Account, b) Agent Account, c) Personal Account. All these
accounts are recorded in the information system of bKash. bKash mainly runs through an app
and also through mobile services. Through bKash, a customer can Cash-In money or Cash-
Out money any time any day he/she wants but only five times a day and there is a limit to
transaction for every uses of bKash to make sure that heavy transactions are not made or any
sort of fraudulence is not carried out. An agent’s job is to provide the services required by the
customers. They charge a fee based on the amount. All these activities are run through a
strong network of systems maintained by bKash itself. Information system of bKash has to be
very strong as it involves financial transaction and customers want rapid services and that is
what bKash is providing. bKash also serves statements of transaction which is stored in every

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user’s account and if someone uses an app, detailed information is also stored in the
respective accounts to make sure that customers are satisfied with their services.

Functions of the information system may include:

1) Keeping records of transaction

2) To see if any transaction takes time or not been made by the system

3) To keep track on the amount of transactions made by the users.

4) To see if any passwords are being tried to change for fraudulence.

5) Information regarding any sort of payments made through bKash.

Having such information systems benefits:

1) Nationwide services have been made available. Many people have been brought under
financial services as bKash is a financial service provider and with this, the target of
making people financially inclusive is getting full-filled.

2) Convenience, unlike most other banking services where you need to go through a
whole lot of procedures, bKash has made things much easier. Just one click through
app or phone, the desired amount is being sent or received within seconds.

3) Secure, unlike any other mobile banking services bKash is one of the safest modes
of transacting money. With one password which is monitored by the bKash
information systems saves money in the account, even if someone wants to invade the
account the account gets blocked and the procedures of re-opening the account is
troublesome.

The Commercial division is divided into two departments, marketing and sales both having
their distinctive roles to play. The hierarchy starts with the Head of division and the
commercial departments are divided into more sections such as marketing, sales, finance. The
hierarchy is middle layer hierarchy. Every channel of the division has more subdivisions and
each of it has more departments who can make the operations smooth

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 Systems approach to understand information systems

After analyzing the systems-

Input: It is anything we wish to enter in a framework for some sort of utilization. It might be
raw material, information, physical source, knowledge or any vitality to choose the idea of
yield. bKash is a mobile banking account which helps to transfer money anytime in a swift
manner without going to the bank. The input methods are:

• Online services by the mobile app

• Via portal number
• Via an agent

Processing: It is characterized as the action that makes conceivable the change of

contribution to yield. bKash primarily targeted its customer base to be those living in villages
and remote areas as well as elderly people for whom physically going to the bank was
difficult. However, due to its popularity and ease of access, everyone uses bKash. The
processing which transforms the taken inputs are given below:

• Online services by the mobile app:

✓ Once the customer opens the mobile app, they need to log in with their pin
code. After that they choose a service they wish to utilize. After the
completion of the process, the customer will receive a push prompt on their
phone with all the transaction details.
• Via portal number:
✓ The customer dials the portal number *247# which opens a menu of services.
After that they choose a service they wish to utilize. After the completion of
the process, the customer will receive a push prompt on their phone with all
the transaction details.
• Via agent:
✓ The customer has to physically go to an agent. The agent completes the
procedures for the customer. After the completion of the process, the agent
will receive a push prompt on their phone with all the transaction details.

Outputs: It is an end result of the activity. As it were it is the reason or the fundamental
target for which the framework is structured. In spite of the fact that the main objective is to a

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great extent reliant on information, its organization may shift tremendously from the info. In
the first two processes, via mobile app and via portal number, a certain amount of fee is
deducted from the account for every transaction. In the process via an agent, a certain amount
of fee deducted which depends on the amount of transaction. For instance, for every BDT
1000 during cash out BDT 20 is charge. The money stays with the agent.

Information systems and web technologies

Form of Web Technology being used by the bKash:

bKash is a financial service provider and they are providing their service through their app.
bKash saw the tendency of people in Bangladesh using cellphones and thought mobile
banking has a potential market here. BRAC Bank are the pioneers of mobile banking and
they have made sure bKash adapt to new technologies from the very beginning, which made
IT department of bKash crucial. bKash is providing service throughout Bangladesh and
without any physical bank branch of its own and that too, efficiently and cost effectively.
bKash is currently providing different banking and financial services lie cash-in, cash out,
utility payment, salary disbursement, foreign remittance, merchant payment, money
withdrawal from ATM etc. bKash is currently using apps like Quick-book to register these
transactions in an efficient way and they also have an integrated server system to make their
activities centralized.

Intranet: bKash is an organization, heavily dependent on IT and to make sure it runs

efficiently all the members are connected with Intranet. Offices from all corners of the
country can contact with head office through internet.

Extranet: bKash is connected with many other organizations. bKash is operating with the
help of different institutions, for providing mobile banking and send regular mobile
notifications bKash is connected with most telecommunication companies. bKash is also
connected with different banks and regulatory institutions and Extranet has connected all the
institutions in a safe way.

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Internet: Internet is the most important technology bKash is using in its information system.
Internet is a network of global exchange. It is a globally connected network system that uses
TCP/IP to transmit via various types of media. bKash has their own website, mobile app and
Facebook page. The stakeholders keep connected with these services. With the help of
internet, customers can contact bKash, pay bills, transfer funds and check balance
information. bKash emphasis on using user-oriented technologies, currently bKash is using
Web 2.0 technology, Web 2.0shared information, functionality along with collaboration. It
helps to build communication between the stakeholders and bKash representative. It is a
transparent way for engaging with the customers, an opportunity for branding and
communicating and helping customers on the basis of feedback.

How Internet is helping to achieve bKash’s goal:

bKash has a developed web content management strategy. They are using the website as an
expansion of an organization’s image, giving helpful and predictable data to their customers.
To attract more new customers and develop the business they have employed Purplebot a
digital marketing company to increase their presence in internet. They have provided fee
calculator un their website which shows transparency to customers. They constantly update
their web page and app to make it more attractive to the customers. Customers can get good
percentage of discount if they use the app to pay during different national festivals. This way
bKash is helping to build a cash-less society where one-day people will not anymore need to
bear the risk and burden of carrying cash. Through different service like balance recharge,
cash transactions bKash has made life of people from all sectors in Bangladesh easier.
Internet has helped bKash to receive regular feedbacks from consumers and work on it, it
helped to reach people in different sectors. Customers can now check record of their
transaction history and can feel the sense of privacy as their information are secret and safely
recorded. Efficient management has helped bKash to attract more than 2 crore customer and
rise as one of the success stories in Bangladesh’s economy.

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 Information systems security

Five information systems security that bKash faces are given below:

1. Trojan malware: A malignant PC program proposed to get to private information put

away or prepared through internet saving money frameworks. Investor Trojan is a sort
of Trojan horse and can show up as a real bit of programming until the point that it is
introduced on an electronic device. When it is introduced in the framework,
unfortunate casualty's data can undoubtedly be exchanged to the programmer. bKash
is an online based business. Its database has essential client information. By which
cash can be pulled back if the programmer has the data. Along these lines, this
represents a gigantic hazard.
2. Phishing attacks: An unlawful practice which is finished by a criminal phony
process, while being in the mask of every now and again as a dependable component
to reveal individual fragile data. This sort of phishing traps is commonly done by
sending ' Tricky' messages to the exploited people in aiming of asking secret and
delicate data from them while putting on a show to be a veritable association. A
similar thing can happen to bKash's client. Assailants may accept camouflage as
bKash's genuine site. Through this hacker can gather client's information and use
them illegitimately.
3. Lost or stolen device: Not all assaults occur in the advanced world. Losing a
telephone or tablet is presumably one of the hardest dangers to battle against since it
gives programmers guide access to the information they're after. Most occasions
clients are signed onto the applications on their gadgets so programmers won't need to
make sense of passwords to open the information.
4. No recovery system of money: People may make mistake to send their money using
their mobile phone but there is no recovery system to recover money from a wrong
number in bKash. For instance, someone may put the wrong amount of money for
sending, the customer may press the wrong button on his or her mobile phone, the
customer may input the wrong number for sending his or her money.
5. Denial of service (DoS): A Denial-of-Service assault is an assault intended to shut
down a machine or framework, making it inaccessible to its expected clients. DoS
assaults accomplish this by flooding the target with action or sending it information
that triggers an accident. In the two events, the DoS assault denies real customers (i.e.
laborers, people, or record holders) of the organization or resource they have foreseen.

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 bKash can be a casualty of DoS as it as an online administration-based brand.
Programmers of DoS strikes routinely can target web servers of bKash, for dealing
with a record, business, and media associations, or government and trade affiliations.
Regardless of the reality 15 that DoS strikes don't ordinarily result in the theft or loss
of basic information or distinctive assets, they can cost the bKash a ton of time and
money to manage.

From these identified threats, two of them are the most dangerous and most likely to cause
severe damage. So, their solution is also given below:

1. Trojan malware:
i. Representatives ought to be precautious about messages from obscure
sources.
ii. Download and Install program from trustable distributors.
iii. Introducing solid firewall programming that can square noxious associations,
which may counteract Trojans.
iv. Refreshed antivirus program must be introduced.
v. Frequently refresh the most recent patches of OS.
2. Phishing attacks: On the off chance that somebody sends a message or call that
requests that one refresh his/her data and one think it may be legitimate, one ought
not straightforwardly to tap on the connection or listen to it. On the off chance that
there is any uncertainty that the message or call isn't genuine, individuals ought to be
watchful and try not to give their data.
3.

Conclusion

In Bangladesh, bKash is the most utilized versatile saving money association of Bangladesh.
It has given banking facilities to the unbanked populace. It expanded comfort for the
individuals. All in all, this report gives an understanding of its framework procedure, utilized
web innovation, business condition and the security difficulties of bKash portable saving
money framework. We can see bKash is utilizing numerous frameworks for their business
forms. They had the ability to distinguish the right market and they are having the capacity to
serve them appropriately. In spite of the fact that there are a few dangers, precautious
measures can relieve them.

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 Reference

1. bKash. 2018. Company profile. [ONLINE] Available

at: https://www.bKash.com/about/company-profile. [Accessed 17 December 2018]

2. C. Greg, (04 August 2014), “bKash Bangladesh: What Explains its Fast Start?”
Retrieved August 13, 2017 from http://www.cgap.org/blog/bKash-bagladesh-
whatexplains-its-fast-start