Cashless Cox’s Bazar in Focus, Says Bangladesh Bank Governor
Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Ahsan H Mansur has announced that an initiative has been taken to transform Cox’s Bazar into the country’s first cashless district. He said that to realise a cashless Bangladesh, every citizen must have access to a smartphone priced within Tk 6,000–7,000, and agent banking activities should be expanded by appointing female agents in marginal areas.
The governor made the remarks on Saturday afternoon, December 20, at a discussion meeting titled “Economic Prospects of the Chattogram Region and the Role of the Central Bank at the Regional Level,” held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the port city.
He also said that to facilitate import and export activities, Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) services would soon be introduced at all seaports and airports across the country to enable round-the-clock transactions.
Dr Mansur further noted that enhancing regional and global connectivity of the Chattogram region—similar to Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong—is crucial for its geopolitical and economic development. “Chattogram is the lifeline of Bangladesh’s economy,” he said, highlighting the region’s unique combination of sea, hills, and plains. The country’s main seaport, export processing zones, heavy industries, energy infrastructure, and the bulk of international trade are concentrated in this region, he added.
“To fully realise this potential, a strong role of the financial sector is indispensable,” the governor said, adding that the central bank’s responsibility is to ensure adequate and affordable credit flows to productive sectors.
He emphasised the need to distribute unutilised funds from Bangladesh Bank’s refinancing schemes among suitable clients in the region. As part of financial inclusion efforts, he said every bank should provide financial literacy training to at least one school, while initiatives for digital and cashless transactions should be introduced in schools, colleges, and universities.
Representatives from business associations, chambers of commerce, ports, customs, academia, economists, officials of Bangladesh Bank, regional heads of scheduled banks, and other stakeholders from various professions attended the meeting.
A concept paper on the economic prospects of the Chattogram region and the central bank’s regional role was presented by Mohammad Abdullah Al Amin, Additional Director of Bangladesh Bank. The paper highlighted Chattogram’s economic transformation, blue economy potential, optimal utilisation of Chattogram Seaport, the Karnaphuli Tunnel, Mirsarai Industrial City, and the Matarbari Deep Sea Port. It also outlined Bangladesh Bank’s refinancing support worth several thousand crore taka for agriculture, CMSMEs, and export sectors to help build a prosperous Bangladesh by 2041.
Speaking at the event, Dr Mahmud Abdul Matin Bhuiyan, Vice-Chancellor of Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), said long-term economic and geopolitical strategies are needed for Chattogram, given its proximity to ASEAN economies on one side and the strategic Bay of Bengal on the other.
Abida Mostafa, President of the Chattogram Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, proposed special refinancing schemes for women, access to soft loans, and training programmes to enhance financial literacy.
The meeting was chaired by Md Mokbul Hossain, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank’s Chattogram Office. Guests of honour included Dr Mahmud Abdul Matin Bhuiyan, Vice-Chancellor of CUET, and Md Khosru Parvez, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank’s Head Office. The programme began with a welcome address by Md Ashiqur Rahman, Director (Administration) of Bangladesh Bank, Chattogram Office.
DBTech/DRO/EK/OR
