Rural financial inclusion grows amid agent banking expansion

The number of customers in agent banking increased by more than 17.5 lakh over the past year, reflecting the continued expansion of financial services across rural Bangladesh.
According to the latest report from Bangladesh Bank, the total number of agent banking customers stood at around 2.41 crore at the end of December 2024. By December 2025, the figure rose to nearly 2.58 crore. This means around 17.5 lakh new customers were added within a year, registering a growth rate of 7.29%.
A significant portion of these customers are from rural areas. As of December 2025, rural customers accounted for more than 2.18 crore of the total, underscoring the service’s growing role in promoting financial inclusion outside major urban centres.
Introduced to extend banking services to remote and underserved communities, agent banking has now evolved into a major platform for financial inclusion nationwide. Customers can now access deposit, withdrawal, bill payment and loan services from nearby agent outlets, eliminating the need to travel to district or upazila towns and wait in long queues at traditional bank branches.

Sector insiders attribute the popularity of agent banking to its accessibility and prompt service delivery. They say the convenience of conducting transactions close to home has strengthened public confidence in the system.
Loan disbursement through agent banking channels recorded the highest growth during the period under review. In December 2024, total loans disbursed through agent banking stood at Tk24,028 crore. By December 2025, the amount surged to Tk35,023 crore - an increase of Tk10,994 crore or 45.76% year-on-year.
Former managing director of Bank Asia, Arfan Ali, told the Daily Sun that, “The core objective of agent banking was to bring rural and underserved populations into the formal banking system.”
He noted that the platform is also contributing to increased credit flow to agriculture and small and medium enterprises. With proper supervision and quality control, he added, the sector could build an even stronger foundation in the coming years.

Deposit mobilisation has also shown steady growth. Deposits in agent banking stood at Tk41,955 crore in December 2024 and increased to Tk49,720 crore by December 2025. This marks a rise of Tk7,764 crore, representing an 18.51% growth over the year.
Despite the overall expansion in customers, deposits and loans, the number of agents and outlets declined slightly. The total number of agents fell from 16,021 in December 2024 to 15,327 in December 2025, a reduction of 694 agents. Similarly, the number of outlets decreased from 21,248 to 20,501 during the same period, down by 747 outlets. However, the number of banks providing agent banking services remained unchanged at 31.