Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the government will move swiftly to bring the entire country under digitalisation to ensure financial and banking services reach people’s doorsteps, making services more accessible, transparent and cost-effective.
Speaking as the chief guest at the Innovation Showcasing 2025-26 programme organised by the Financial Institutions Division (FID) on Monday, the minister said digital technology is essential for simplifying public services and promoting inclusive development.
He said the government’s budget aims to include people from all walks of life, including artisans, artists and performers, and stressed that technology would play a key role in ensuring broad participation in the country’s political, social and economic activities.
Highlighting international best practices, the finance minister said a high-level government delegation is currently visiting Estonia to study its advanced digital governance model. He instructed officials to adopt globally proven digital solutions in Bangladesh’s financial sector without delay.
Addressing representatives of banks and financial institutions, Chowdhury praised the innovations displayed at the event but said further improvements are needed to achieve wider digital transformation. He urged institutions to assess what proportion of their customers are using digital services and encourage more clients to adopt online banking through branch-level awareness campaigns and customer communication.
He also called for expanding the coverage of digital services across banks, insurance companies and capital market institutions so that people can access services from home or while travelling, reducing time, costs and inconvenience while improving national productivity.
The minister also urged the media to promote awareness of digital financial services to help accelerate the country’s digital transformation.
The event was chaired by Financial Institutions Division Secretary Nazma Mobarek and attended by senior officials from the division, Bangladesh Bank, and leading banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions.
