In Bangladesh, Google has launched its digital payment platform, Google Pay, in partnership with City Bank. The launch event took place at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka, attended by Ahsan H. Mansur, governor of Bangladesh Bank, along with senior representatives from Google, Mastercard, and Visa. City Bank customers can now link their Mastercard or Visa debit or credit cards to Google Wallet and use Google Pay for fast, secure, NFC-based contactless payments at point-of-sale terminals both locally and abroad. The service employs advanced encryption and tokenisation, ensuring customer data privacy. For small in-person purchases, users may not even need to enter a PIN, while online checkouts also benefit from simplified authentication. Bangladesh, where approximately 95% of smartphones run on Android, is well-positioned for this rollout. At launch, only City Bank cards are supported, but Google and the bank plan to onboard cards from other financial institutions in future updates. This represents a major step toward mainstreaming digital wallets alongside existing services like bKash, Rocket, Nagad, and bank-issued cards. Governor Mansur expressed his enthusiasm by saying, “We are excited to have Google Pay join us in Bangladesh. I believe our country will prove to be a reliable destination for both local and foreign investors,” dispelling concerns that such entrants would deplete local resources. City Bank’s CEO, Mashrur Arefin, added that the launch underscores the institution’s commitment to building a forward-looking digital payment infrastructure. Industry analysts believe Google Pay will complement existing mobile financial services, enhancing urban digital inclusion. Unlike QR-based apps, NFC tap-to-pay is already widely used in global payment systems. With robust encryption combined with device-level PINs, fingerprint or facial authentication, Google Pay is expected to offer enhanced security and convenience. In the long term, however, MFS providers like bKash and Nagad may lobby for policy adjustments to ensure a level playing field, particularly regarding interoperability and transaction costs. Overall, this launch marks a major milestone in Bangladesh’s journey toward a fully digital payments ecosystem, one that embraces global standards, improved consumer convenience, and secure, contactless transactions.
