Remittances through agent banking outlets growing

Remittance disbursement through agent banking outlets in Bangladesh is growing because of their rising popularity as rural households find the service convenient.

During the January-March period of 2026, agent banking outlets handled Tk 8,959.8 crore in inward remittances, posting a 15 percent year-on-year increase. Banks disbursed Tk 7,814 crore in remittances in the first quarter of 2025.

The amount of remittance disbursement, a key pillar for net-importing Bangladesh, accounted for 7.4 percent of the country’s total remittance inflows during January-March 2026.

However, remittance inflows through agent banking were overwhelmingly concentrated in rural areas, according to the latest Bangladesh Bank quarterly report on agent banking statistics published today.

The report said that of the total remittances received through agent banking outlets during the quarter, Tk 8,133 crore, or more than 90 percent, went to rural areas, while urban areas received Tk 826.6 crore, which was less than one-tenth of the amount.

The BB said remittances received in rural areas through the agent banking channel were 9.8 times higher than those received in urban areas.

The central bank earlier said agents were contributing significantly to remittance disbursement since customers were able to receive doorstep banking services within the shortest possible time.

“Agent banking operations in remote areas remove the gap created by the insufficient presence of bank branches, thereby enhancing accessibility to financial services for marginalised communities,” said the BB’s latest report.

Agent banking provides an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional branch banking, enabling broader access to financial services and facilitating economic development.

The BB said 30 scheduled banks were operating agent banking services through 20,339 active outlets. On average, each outlet serves approximately 8,551 people in Bangladesh.

More than 85 percent of the outlets are located in rural areas, highlighting banks’ focus on extending formal financial services beyond urban centres.

As such, agent banking transactions remained heavily rural-centric.

During January-March 2026, agent banking outlets handled transactions worth Tk 1.43 lakh crore, mostly in rural areas, said the BB, which introduced agent banking in 2013 as an alternative delivery channel to expand banking services in remote and underserved regions.

The BB report said that at the end of March 2026, total deposits held through agent banking accounts stood at more than Tk 50,560 crore, marking an 18.6 percent increase from a year earlier. Rural areas accounted for Tk 41,695 crore of the deposits.

Deposit growth was higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

At the end of March 2026, total outstanding loans stood at Tk 11,906 crore, with urban areas accounting for 37 percent of the total outstanding amount.

The BB data showed that outstanding loans were nearly one-fourth of the total deposit balance at agent banking outlets.

The BB also highlighted growing female participation in agent banking activities.

The central bank said that in March 2026, the number of female-owned agents increased compared with March 2025, while deposit accounts owned by women increased noticeably.

“Both deposit and loan accounts for women increased,” said the report, adding that deposit accounts owned by women rose by 8 percent in March from a year earlier.