Agent banking accounts rise to 27.22m in June

The Quarterly Report on Agent Banking, April-June 2026, said 30 banks were providing agent banking services through 20,597 outlets operated by 15,424 agents as of June 30.

The number of agents increased by 1.58 percent and outlets by 1.27 percent during the quarter.

Of the total 27,224,256 agent banking accounts, 13,558,918, or around 50 percent, belonged to female customers, while 23,027,755 accounts, or 85 percent, were held by customers in rural areas.

The report said the growing number of accounts reflected rising demand for agent banking services among different segments of the population. Female-owned accounts increased by 3.06 percent during the quarter, surpassing male-owned accounts.

Deposits held through agent banking also continued to rise. The cumulative deposit reached Tk 519,072.92 million at the end of June, up 1.96 percent from the previous quarter and 13.82 percent from a year earlier.

Lending through agent banking recorded stronger growth, with cumulative loan disbursement reaching Tk 408,703.97 million. The amount increased by 8.26 percent during the quarter and 40.89 percent year-on-year.

The loan-to-deposit ratio rose to 78.74 percent in June from 74.16 percent in March, indicating increasing momentum in loan disbursement through agent outlets. Twenty-three of the 30 banks engaged in agent banking were involved in lending activities.

Rural customers received Tk 262,263.99 million, or 64.17 percent, of the total loans disbursed through agent banking. However, women accounted for only Tk 52,002.06 million, or 12.72 percent, of total lending, indicating significant scope for increasing women's access to credit.

Agent banking also continued to play a major role in distributing inward remittances. The cumulative amount of inward remittances disbursed through agents reached Tk 2,149,041.57 million at the end of June, up 1.76 percent from the previous quarter and 16.87 percent year-on-year.

Rural beneficiaries received 90.44 percent of the total inward remittances distributed through agent banking, highlighting the channel's importance in bringing remittance money to people outside major urban centres.

The report said agent banking was contributing significantly to financial inclusion by providing banking services to underserved populations, particularly in rural areas.

It noted that the increasing 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.

Meanwhile, 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.

The report said female-owned outlets accounted for 10.22 percent of the country's total agent banking outlets and had 2.34 million accounts, including 1.94 million accounts in rural areas.

Bangladesh Bank introduced agent banking in 2013 to provide an alternative delivery channel for banking services, particularly to people living in geographically remote areas. Customers can use the outlets for deposits, loans, remittances, payments and government social safety-net benefits, reports BSS.