Businesses in Bangladesh can now pay for Meta ads via bkash

Businesses in Bangladesh can now pay for advertisements on Meta's platforms using bKash, removing the previous requirement for a foreign-currency-enabled credit card.

The local payment facility was launched today (10 Sepetember) by LightCastle Partners in partnership with Meta at "Agami: Bangladesh AI Innovation Day" in Dhaka.

Until now, businesses in Bangladesh had to use foreign-currency-enabled credit cards to pay for advertising on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. With around 3 million cards in circulation, the payment option was not readily accessible to many small and first-time advertisers, according to the organisers.

bKash, meanwhile, has more than 82 million registered users, giving businesses with a bKash account a locally available payment option for Meta advertising.

Businesses can add bKash as a payment method through their Meta Ads account settings.

Ruzan Sarwar, head of public policy for Bangladesh and Nepal at Meta, said the local payment facility would allow more small businesses to reach customers online.

"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," she said.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the event, ICT Adviser to the Prime Minister Rehan Asif Asad highlighted the potential of expanding digital access in Bangladesh.

"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," he said.

The event, hosted by LightCastle Partners in partnership with Meta, brought together representatives from the government, industry and entrepreneurship community. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen also spoke at the programme.