Business Report :
Bangladesh witnessed a notable surge in card-based transactions in May 2025 reflecting the country’s growing shift towards online and contactless transactions in both local and foreign currency operations.
The number of debit, credit, and prepaid cards issued continued to rise, alongside significant jumps in transaction volumes and values, according to the latest data from the Bangladesh Bank (BB).
As of May 2025, the number of debit cards stood at 4.183 crore, credit cards at 25.8 lac, and prepaid cards at 79.9 lac.
These figures represent a month-on-month increase of 0.78 per cent, 0.09 per cent, and 4.59 per cent, respectively, compared to April 2025.
Industry insiders say the steady rise in debit cards reflects continued demand from salary account holders and remittance receivers, while the noticeable growth in prepaid cards signals rising popularity among e-commerce shoppers and the youth segment.
Using these cards, the number of transactions in local and foreign currencies reached 5.551 crore in May, involving a total transaction value of Tk 50,651 crore.
Compared to April 2025, the number of transactions rose by 15.29 per cent, while the value surged by 22.32 per cent, the Bangladesh Bank data shows.
The total transaction value in local and foreign currencies through cards was Tk 41,407 crore in April 2025. Also, the number of transactions in that month was 4.815 crore.
