Joint study will explore living standards, women empowerment, and policy implications in Bangladesh
bKash and UIU Partner to Research Socioeconomic Impacts of Digital Transactions
- bKash and UIU’s Institute for Advanced Research (IAR) sign agreement to conduct nationwide research on digital finance adaptation
- Study will examine the impact of digital transactions on living standards, women empowerment, financial resilience, and MFS roles
- Empirical findings will guide policymakers and financial service providers toward building an inclusive digital financial ecosystem
In an institutional effort to examine the expanding footprint of cashless finance and evaluate its socioeconomic outcomes across Bangladesh, mobile financial service provider bKash has entered into a research collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Research (IAR) at United International University (UIU). The announcement was formally made on Monday, 9 November 2026, following the execution of a bilateral agreement recently hosted at the UIU campus in Dhaka.
Titled ‘Exploring Digital Transaction Adaptation in Bangladesh: Drivers, Social Outcomes, and Policy Implication’, the empirical research project seeks to assess how the proliferation of digital financial tools impacts household living standards, female economic empowerment, and household financial resilience, alongside measuring the catalytic role of MFS providers in facilitating these transitions.
The signing ceremony was attended by Professor Dr. Md. Abul Kashem Mia, Vice Chancellor of UIU; Dr. M. Rezwan Khan, Professor Emeritus (Dept. of EEE) and Executive Director of IAR; M Mazedul Islam, Chief Legal Officer of bKash; and Shahriar Mahmood, Executive Vice President and Head of Employer Branding & Recruitment at bKash, alongside senior delegates from both institutions.
Propelled by sustained product innovation from MFS platforms and commercial banks, rising digital literacy, and supportive regulatory frameworks from monetary authorities, digital transaction behaviors have significantly modernized nationwide. The collaborative study will analyze quantitative datasets and empirical field evidence to assess how consumer trust, social norms, and digital literacy influence the sustained adoption of digital payments, while documenting remaining structural bottlenecks.
Beyond evaluating adoption drivers, the initiative will measure the direct correlations between digital finance and broader societal outcomes, focusing on the interplay between regulatory policies and platform infrastructure. The final findings aim to provide evidence-based insights for domestic policymakers, financial institutions, and academic researchers working to foster an inclusive, robust, and resilient digital financial architecture in Bangladesh.
//DBTech/SHP SMP/MVNO//
