Bangladeshis spent Tk 987 crore abroad in August using bank cards issued in Bangladesh, as card payments for shopping, travel and various services overseas continued to grow.
Of the total expenditure, Tk 505 crore was spent through credit cards, Tk 422 crore through debit cards and Tk 60 crore through prepaid cards.
Data on card-based transactions from Bangladesh Bank show that the United States was the leading destination for Bangladeshi credit card spending abroad, accounting for 17.16% of total overseas credit card expenditure.
Thailand ranked second, followed by the United Kingdom, India and Singapore, which accounted for 10.86%, 9.75%, 9.12% and 7.98% of overseas credit card spending, respectively.
Card-based transactions within Bangladesh have also increased significantly. According to Bangladesh Bank data, the value of transactions made through cards rose by around 103% over five years, from Tk 24,561 crore in September 2021 to Tk 49,770 crore in August 2026.
The number of bank cards in the country also increased by around 96% over the same period, rising from slightly more than 2.7 crore in September 2021 to 5,29,54,241 in August 2026.
Of the total cards in circulation, 4,08,87,804 were debit cards, 28,05,449 were credit cards and 92,70,988 were prepaid cards.
Despite the overall growth in card transactions, domestic credit card spending declined slightly in August. Transactions of this type totalled Tk 4,089.30 crore during the month, down 5.44% from Tk 4,325 crore in July.
Departmental stores accounted for the largest share of domestic credit card spending in August, at Tk 1,969 crore. Customers also spent Tk 518 crore at retail outlets, Tk 442 crore on utility bills and Tk 284 crore on medicines.
Meanwhile, foreign cardholders spent Tk 249 crore in Bangladesh in August. The amount was up 6.27% from the previous month and 34.66% from the same month last year.