Agent banking accounts in Bangladesh crossed 2.72 crore in June 2026, with rural customers holding 85 per cent of the accounts, according to a Bangladesh Bank report.
The number of accounts rose 2.77 per cent from the previous quarter to 2.72 crore at the end of June, the Quarterly Report on Agent Banking, April-June 2026, said.
The report said 30 banks were providing agent banking services through 20,597 outlets operated by 15,424 agents as of 30 June. The number of agents increased by 1.58 per cent and outlets by 1.27 per cent during the quarter, reports BSS.
Of the total 2,72,24,256 agent banking accounts, 1,35,58,918, or around 50 per cent, belonged to female customers, while 2,30,27,755 accounts, or 85 per cent, were held by rural customers.
Female-owned accounts increased by 3.06 per cent during the quarter, surpassing male-owned accounts.
Deposits through agent banking reached Tk51,907.29 crore at the end of June, up 1.96 per cent from the previous quarter and 13.82 per cent year-on-year.
Loan disbursement through agent banking recorded stronger growth, reaching Tk40,870.40 crore. The amount increased by 8.26 per cent during the quarter and 40.89 per cent year-on-year.
The loan-to-deposit ratio rose to 78.74 per cent in June from 74.16 per cent in March. Twenty-three of the 30 banks engaged in agent banking were involved in lending activities.
Rural customers received Tk26,226.40 crore, or 64.17 per cent, of the total loans disbursed through agent banking. Women received Tk5,200.21 crore, or 12.72 per cent.
Inward remittances distributed through agents reached Tk2.15 lakh crore at the end of June, rising 1.76 per cent from the previous quarter and 16.87 per cent year-on-year. Rural beneficiaries received 90.44 per cent of the total.
The report said agent banking was contributing to financial inclusion by providing banking services to underserved populations, particularly in rural areas.
It said the rising lending-to-deposit ratio indicated growing availability of finance for entrepreneurship through agent outlets. Bangladesh Bank is encouraging banks to facilitate CMSME and women entrepreneurship loans and refinance schemes for marginalised people through agent banking.
Female participation in agent banking as entrepreneurs is also increasing. As of June 2026, 28 banks were offering services through 2,106 female-owned outlets operated by 1,776 female-owned agents.
Female-owned outlets accounted for 10.22 per cent of the country’s total agent banking outlets and had 23.4 lakh accounts, including 19.4 lakh rural accounts.
Bangladesh Bank introduced agent banking in 2013 as an alternative delivery channel for banking services, particularly for people living in geographically remote areas. Customers can use the outlets for deposits, loans, remittances, payments and government social safety-net benefits.
