Digital Finance Growth in Bangladesh Needs Better Technology

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes · Last updated: 5 October 2026

At a seminar held on September 29 at the Bangladesh Bank Training Academy, Deputy Governor Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman emphasised that effective use of technology is essential for digital finance and fintech to expand in Bangladesh. Speakers and panelists identified practical mechanisms — including the One Person, One ID concept, stronger data management and secure data sharing, use of artificial intelligence, and interoperability across systems — as prerequisites for scaling services. The session featured a keynote from Muhammad Manjur Mahmud of DataSoft and a panel that included senior Bangladesh Bank directors and industry executives, who set out what banks and fintechs must change to keep pace with technological advances.

Why Bangladesh’s central bank put technology at the centre

Bangladesh Bank framed technology as the enabling layer for wider financial inclusion and product innovation. Deputy Governor Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman spoke as chief guest at the September 29 seminar and joined other senior officials in saying that digital finance cannot scale unless banks and payment providers upgrade systems and processes to handle data, identity and automation securely.

Muhammad Manjur Mahmud, who presented the keynote paper, walked attendees through recent trends in digital banking and fintech uptake and argued that practical gains come from integrating identity, data governance and machine learning into product design rather than only adding front-end features. The session made clear that policy and technical capacity must advance together if services are to reach more users safely.

Policy and technical priorities discussed at the seminar

Speakers named a short list of technology priorities that they said would unlock scale: the One Person, One ID concept to reduce identity friction; improved data management and secure data sharing to support regulated access; and use of artificial intelligence for risk management and personalised services. Interoperability between banking and non-bank payment systems was repeatedly flagged as a practical bottleneck.

Panelists from Bangladesh Bank and industry highlighted that these priorities are linked: identity work makes secure data sharing feasible, and both are needed before AI-driven services can be rolled out responsibly. The seminar’s Q&A session underlined demand for clearer technical standards and coordinated piloting between banks and fintechs.

What banks and fintech firms were told to do next

Panel members urged institutions to invest in staff skills, systems and governance so they can adopt the technologies named at the seminar. Shunman Ershad Faiz and other panelists emphasised practical steps: run interoperability pilots, set data-sharing protocols, and build in AI controls at the design stage rather than as afterthoughts.

The discussion also covered internal capability: speakers called for banks and non-bank providers to expand technical teams and training to keep pace with change and to work with Bangladesh Bank on standard-setting. The seminar closed after a vote of thanks, with participants from Bangladesh Bank’s executive ranks and the Training Academy present to take the ideas into implementation planning.

Cases for and against faster tech-driven expansion

The bottom line

The seminar held on September 29 brought together Bangladesh Bank leaders, industry figures and academics to map a practical route for digital finance growth. The consistent message was that technology is not an add-on but the backbone of scale: identity systems, interoperable rails, data governance and controlled use of AI must be advanced together. Moving from discussion to deployment will require coordinated guidance from Bangladesh Bank, investment in technical teams across banks and fintechs, and timed pilots to prove interoperability and secure data sharing before new services are rolled out at scale.

What to watch

• Watch for Bangladesh Bank’s public roadmap or guidance on the One Person, One ID concept; no date has been set.
• Watch for any formal guidance from Bangladesh Bank on secure data sharing and AI use in finance; no date has been set.
• Watch for announcements of interoperability pilots between banks and payment providers; no date has been set.