Bangladesh Bank has announced that it will not be supplying new banknotes to the market for the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.
In a notification issued on Sunday, the central bank confirmed that unlike previous years where the central bank and commercial banks provided fresh notes to meet the cultural demand for “Eid Salami,” no such supply will be made this time.
This decision comes amid a significant shift towards digital payments. According to the latest report from the central bank, card-based transactions have surged by approximately 143 per cent, or nearly two and a half times, over the last five years.
While transactions stood at Tk20,625 crore in January 2021, the volume rose to Tk50,044 crore by December 2025.
The report, which highlights trends in debit, credit, and prepaid card usage, reveals that 61 banks and one non-bank financial institution (NBFI) are currently providing card services in the country. Of these, 55 banks offer debit card services.
The number of cards in circulation has also seen a dramatic increase. At the end of January 2021, there were over 2.40 crore debit, credit, and prepaid cards in the country. By December 2025, this figure grew to 5.18 crore, marking an increase of approximately 115 per cent. Furthermore, data shows that total card numbers rose from 2.22 crore in August 2020 to 5.69 crore by July 2025.
In terms of spending patterns, customers spent a total of Tk3,930 crore using credit cards issued by domestic banks in December last year. The highest volume of these transactions occurred in departmental stores, accounting for approximately Tk1,740 crore.
The report also detailed spending by foreign nationals residing in Bangladesh. In July last year, citizens of the United States accounted for the highest expenditure, representing more than one-quarter of the total spending by foreigners.
They were followed by citizens from the United Kingdom, India, Mozambique, Australia, Canada, and Saudi Arabia, who were the other top spenders using credit cards.
