The cumulative disbursement of the City Bank–bKash Digital Nano Loan has exceeded Tk10,000 crore, marking a major milestone in Bangladesh’s journey towards digital lending and financial inclusion.
Since its commercial launch in December 2021, the service has provided loans to 3.5 million bKash app users through more than 31.9 million individual loan accounts.
On average, each customer has taken this short-term loan more than 9 times, reflecting both the strong repeat usage of the service and the growing demand for convenient access to small-ticket credit.
The facility is now available to more than 12 million eligible bKash customers, the majority of whom previously had little or no access to formal bank credit or banking services.
Eligible customers can now avail themselves of the loan through the bKash app in less than a minute, without visiting a bank branch or submitting any paperwork.
Currently, nearly 100,000 customers receive City Bank’s digital nano loan through the bKash app every day.
The average loan size is approximately Tk3,000, while monthly loan disbursement has reached Tk900 crore.
These loans are primarily used to meet immediate, short-term financial needs, including small business expenses, household expenditures, medical emergencies and education-related costs.
The most remarkable achievement is the portfolio’s repayment performance.
Out of the total Tk10,000 crore disbursed, only Tk53 crore, or 0.5%, has become non-performing or been written off.
In other words, 99.5% of the total loans disbursed have been repaid, demonstrating an exceptionally strong repayment culture among its borrowers.
Commenting on the milestone, Mashrur Arefin, Managing Director & CEO of City Bank, said: “At a time when rising non-performing loans remain a major concern for Bangladesh’s banking sector, the portfolio quality of small-ticket digital lending has reached an enviable level. This experience offers valuable lessons and inspiration for the entire banking industry.”