Small businesses in Bangladesh can now pay for advertisements on Meta platforms using bKash, making it easier for entrepreneurs to promote their products and services online.
The new payment facility allows businesses to use bKash to pay for advertising campaigns on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
The initiative is expected to make digital advertising more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses, particularly those that rely on social media to reach customers.
Until now, businesses in Bangladesh could pay for advertising on Meta's platforms only with foreign-currency-enabled credit cards.
With card penetration in Bangladesh at approximately 3 million cards, this left many businesses, particularly smaller and first-time advertisers, without a practical way to pay.
bKash changes the arithmetic. With more than 82 million registered users, bKash reaches close to half the population of Bangladesh, a base many times larger than the country's entire card-holding population. For the first time, the payment method most Bangladeshi business owners already use every day is a payment method they can use to grow their business online.
The result is that a business owner with a mobile phone and a bKash account can now advertise on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp without needing a credit card or access to foreign currency, removing one of the most persistent barriers to digital growth for Bangladesh's small businesses.
The launch was announced at “Agami: Bangladesh AI Innovation Day” in Dhaka, hosted by LightCastle Partners in partnership with Meta, bringing together leaders from government, industry and the entrepreneurship community.
The programme included remarks from US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen, a dedicated session on the local payments launch, and a panel discussion on the role of digital tools and AI in Bangladesh's small business economy, featuring voices from government and industry.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the event, Rehan Asif Asad, ICT Adviser to the Prime Minister, said "Out of 140 million mobile users, only 50% or 70 million—have a smartphone. That still leaves 70 million people in this country without data phone. As we speak today, no other country in the world has 70 million connected phones without data and that is a huge opportunity”.
Ruzan Sarwar, Public Policy Manager, Bangladesh, Meta, presenting the launch at the event.
Ruzan Sarwar, Head of Public Policy for Bangladesh and Nepal at Meta, said "It's encouraging to see more of Bangladesh's small businesses able to reach customers online. With local payment methods now available, many more entrepreneurs can use these tools to build their businesses and grow."
bKash is now available as a payment method for businesses advertising on Meta's platforms in Bangladesh. Businesses can add bKash as a payment method in their Meta Ads account settings.