Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur has announced that the mobile financial service Nagad will be handed over to an independent investor as the postal department lacks the capacity to run the operation.
He also said a decision had been made at the highest level and efforts were underway to bring in new investment.
The governor came up with the development on Wednesday (August 27) while addressing the “Cashless Bangladesh Summit 2025,” organised by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka.
A public announcement is expected within a week, and a new investor is likely to be secured within three to four months, he added.
ICMAB President Mahtab Uddin Ahmed described Bangladesh as standing at a critical juncture of financial transformation.
He said the transition towards a cashless economy is no longer a future aspiration but an urgent necessity.
“This summit has brought together policymakers and implementing partners on a single platform, which we believe will play a vital role in shaping an effective roadmap,” he added.
Syed Mohammad Kamal, Country Manager of Mastercard Bangladesh, said the company was proud to co-host the summit with ICMAB. “A cashless society accelerates innovation, enhances efficiency, and ensures financial inclusion across all levels of society,” he said.
The inaugural session featured a keynote presentation on “The Role of Fintech in Building a Cashless Economy” by Dr. M. Masrur Reaz, Chairman and CEO of Policy Exchange Bangladesh.
Panel participants included Md. Sharafat Ullah Khan, Director of the Bangladesh Bank’s Payment Systems Department; Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Managing Director and CEO of Mutual Trust Bank PLC; Ali Ahmed, Chief Commercial Officer of bKash Limited; Zakia Sultana, Director of Mastercard Bangladesh; and Adnan Imtiaz Halim, Founder of Sheba Platform. They discussed inclusive growth, greater collaboration, and fintech’s contribution to creating a seamless cashless ecosystem.
In the final session, Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), presented a keynote paper titled “Regulatory Reforms and Policy Roadmap for a Cashless Bangladesh.”
Speakers emphasised the need for reforms, regulatory sandboxes, and supportive tax structures to balance innovation with consumer protection. Such initiatives, they said, would strengthen Bangladesh’s digital finance ecosystem and position the country as a regional leader in cashless innovation.
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