Scoping study to support the Bangladesh Bank for a SMART Bangladesh

• Sep 8, 2025
• 1 min

The Government of Bangladesh sought to realize its Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041, laid out an ambitious national agenda to transform the country into a digitally empowered, cashless, and high-income economy. Central to this vision is the transformation of the financial sector to enable inclusive growth, digital innovation, and economic resilience. As part of this effort, Bangladesh Bank intended to build a future-ready financial ecosystem that could support the country’s broader digital development goals.

MSC partnered with Bangladesh Bank to support the strategic planning process that underpins this national vision. Through a comprehensive scoping study, MSC codeveloped a digital transformation roadmap for the financial sector. The study identified key areas where innovation and technology could accelerate progress and proposed strategic actions to strengthen digital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. MSC also helped shape an inclusive, tech-enabled regulatory ecosystem by integrating perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders. As part of this work, MSC designed a suite of scalable pilot projects to fast-track the sector’s transition toward a smart, cashless economy by 2031.

This engagement laid the foundation for a digitally inclusive financial ecosystem aligned with Bangladesh’s long-term development goals. The roadmap and pilot initiatives developed through this collaboration promote innovation, interoperability, and inclusive growth across the financial sector. By strengthening regulatory readiness and market infrastructure, the study has enabled the financial system to become more agile, resilient, and future-focused, which has helped accelerate the country’s journey toward a Smart Bangladesh.

This project was commissioned by the Gates Foundation.