Dhaka: Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Ahsan H Mansur announced today that the government has decided to fully privatise Nagad, aiming to bolster competition in the mobile financial services (MFS) sector. “The Postal Department does not have the capacity to operate Nagad. We want technology companies to come forward and invest in Nagad. We expect to find new investors within the next three to four months,” stated Mansur.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Mansur was addressing attendees as the chief guest at the ‘Cashless Bangladesh Summit 2025’, hosted at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka. The summit was organized by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) in collaboration with Mastercard.
During his speech, Mansur emphasized that the decision to attract new investors was made at the highest governmental level, with a formal notice expected to be issued shortly. He also highlighted the rising costs associated with cash usage, pointing out, “The cost of printing cash is increasing by 10%, or around Tk 2,000 crore, every year. If this continues, how can this be a digital economy?”
The summit convened various stakeholders from the banking and fintech sectors, regulatory agencies, and policymakers to deliberate on the future steps necessary to achieve a cashless economy in Bangladesh.
Among the special guests was Shish Haider Chowdhury, Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division. In one of the sessions, Masrur Riaz, Chairman and CEO of Bangladesh Policy Exchange, delivered a keynote speech on “Building a cashless economy: critical role of fintechs.” Riaz suggested that Bangladesh could draw lessons from the digital transformation of countries like China, India, and Sweden. He advocated for enabling wholesale and corporate digital payments, supporting innovation, and investing in infrastructure to enhance the digital transaction ecosystem.
The session was moderated by Zeeshan Kingshulk Huq, Chief Commercial Officer of United Commercial Bank.