Bangladesh Bank’s latest data shows that Bangladeshi citizens spent over BDT 443 crore abroad using credit cards in August 2025, marking a 19% increase compared to the same month last year. Bank officials attributed the growth in overseas card spending to two main factors: political stability in the country and the easing of the dollar shortage. Last August, Bangladeshi cardholders spent a total of BDT 372 crore abroad. While the annual growth is significant, monthly spending in August 2025 was 7.5% lower than July’s BDT 479 crore.
A senior executive from a private commercial bank’s card division told The Daily Industry, “Political instability during the power transition in August 2024 led to fewer Bangladeshis traveling abroad. Fewer trips to India also reduced card transactions there, which explains the high year-on-year growth.”
He added, “Currently, there is no dollar shortage. The supply of foreign currency in banks is much higher than in 2024. Back then, accessing dollars, either in cash or via cards, was difficult.”
A senior Bangladesh Bank official noted that citizens are allowed to spend up to USD 12,000 abroad per year through credit cards or cash. Analysis of the spending patterns shows that approximately 74.64% of foreign transactions were made using Visa cards, 15.03% via Mastercard, and 10.26% through American Express. The United States remained the top destination for foreign currency spending via credit cards, followed by Thailand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and Canada.
Meanwhile, the central bank’s statistics reveal that the number of active credit cards in Bangladesh has surged by roughly 64% over the past four years. In December 2021, over 1.8 million cards were in circulation, and by August 2025, the number had risen to over 3 million.
