Google Pay Goes Live in Bangladesh with City Bank Collaboration
Google’s digital payment service, widely known as Google Pay, has officially been launched in Bangladesh under the branding of Google Wallet. The service has been introduced through a partnership between Google, Mastercard, Visa, and City Bank PLC. From now on, City Bank customers holding Mastercard or Visa cards can link their cards to Google Wallet and make quick, secure, and contactless payments using Google Pay.
However, this service will not be available to American Express cardholders at this stage.
The official launch took place on Tuesday, June 23, at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka, where Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur inaugurated the service by tapping phones on the digital podium screen.
Among the special guests were Tracy N. Jacobson, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, and Hossain Khaled, Vice Chairman of City Bank. The event was also attended by Masrur Arefin, Managing Director and CEO of City Bank; Shammi Quddus, Group Product Manager at Google Payments; Syed Mohammad Kamal, Country Manager for Mastercard Bangladesh; Sabbir Ahmed, Country Manager for Visa Bangladesh; and other senior officials from the partnering institutions.
In his keynote speech, Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur said, “We are supporting the digitization of financial services. Digital transactions ensure transparency. This not only promotes financial inclusion but also helps build a cashless society.”
Calling on mobile operators to integrate with the service, he added, “When foreign investors come to Bangladesh, they won’t launder money but instead contribute to economic growth. Bangladesh is steadily moving towards a cashless economy, and the launch of Google Pay marks another major step forward in that journey.”
He further emphasized the importance of maintaining financial sector stability, stating, “Some banks need to go through mergers to achieve that. By December, we expect to successfully merge a few banks. However, depositors will not face any loss. I want to assure depositors that their interests will be fully protected. Please stay with your banks.”
During the event, it was explained that users of the service can now make seamless and hassle-free payments both locally and internationally by tapping their Android phones on any Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled point-of-sale (POS) terminal. Google Pay uses advanced encryption technology to ensure the security of customer data. Effectively, the smartphone becomes a digital wallet, eliminating the need to carry physical plastic cards. Whether for air travel, shopping, or cinema tickets, transactions can now be completed directly from the user’s mobile device.
