About the Organization
bKash Limited is Bangladesh's largest mobile financial service provider and the company that brought mobile money to the mass market in the country. Founded in 2010, bKash Limited operates in the mobile financial services sector, primarily offering mobile wallet solutions, and is headquartered in Dhaka. Its origins lie in a cross-border partnership inspired by mobile-money successes elsewhere; bKash was founded in 2010 through a strategic joint venture between Money in Motion LLC, an American company, and BRAC Bank, a well-established commercial bank in Bangladesh, with the vision conceived by brothers Kamal and Iqbal Quadir, who were inspired by the transformative impact of mobile financial services in emerging economies like Kenya's M-PESA and the Philippines. Today, bKash operates under the authority of Bangladesh Bank as a subsidiary of BRAC Bank PLC, and is led by Chief Executive Officer Kamal Quadir and Chairman Shameran Abed, headquartered at Shadhinata Tower, Dhaka Cantonment.
The company has attracted a remarkable roster of global investors over its growth, reflecting its strategic importance. International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, became an equity partner in April 2013; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invested in 2014; Ant Financial, the operator of Alipay and an affiliate of Alibaba Group, entered as an equity partner in April 2018; and in November 2021, SoftBank Vision Fund II invested USD 250 million, acquiring over a 10% stake. Its scale is now vast: bKash is the leading mobile financial service provider in Bangladesh, with over 50 million registered users and a network of around 300,000 agents across the country, helping drive financial inclusion for millions who previously had limited options.
Business Operations
bKash's core business is providing accessible, secure digital financial services through mobile phones. It provides a comprehensive suite of digital financial services centred around mobile financial transactions, with core offerings that allow users to send and receive money, pay bills, and make purchases directly through their mobile devices, serving individuals, small businesses, and larger enterprises through a secure and efficient payment platform. Its revenue model is transaction-based; bKash generates revenue primarily through transaction fees incurred during money transfers and other mobile financial services, with a percentage fee charged per transfer that varies by transaction amount and type.
The company's defining purpose is financial inclusion for the underserved. Its ultimate objective is ensuring access to a broader range of financial services for the people of Bangladesh, focusing on serving the low-income masses with services that are convenient, affordable, and reliable, recognising that more than 70% of the population lives in rural areas where access to formal financial services is difficult. A distinctive aspect of its model is its independence from telecom operators; unlike large mobile-money businesses in other countries that added mobile financial services to an existing customer base, bKash acquired each client through its own efforts, as it was not a mobile network operator, and it relies on the existing MNOs in Bangladesh to provide its services.
Affiliations With BUP Career Club
bKash has one of the longest-running and most consistent relationships of any company with the BUP Career Club, spanning sponsorship, participation, and thought-leadership across multiple editions of the fest.
Its involvement reaches back to the event's earlier years as a named co-sponsor. The "BUP Career and Education Fest 2018" was powered by Pathao and held in association with bKash Limited, launched on 12 September at the BUP campus, with students dropping their CVs at the stalls of companies including Pathao, bKash, Grameenphone, Banglalink, Apex, and others. It then returned as a participating recruiter across subsequent editions: bKash was among the participating companies at the BUP Career and Education Fest 2019, and again in 2022, when the participating companies at "Career and Education Fest 2022" Powered by Trust Bank Limited included bKash, Marico, Banglalink, IPDC Finance, Nagad, BRAC Bank, Pathao, and others. Most recently, it contributed to the programme's content; at the 2025 edition, Ali Ahmmed, Chief Commercial Officer of bKash, delivered a talk on fintech innovation. The ties go even further when bKash Limited once again came to the 9th edition of BUP Career and Educaiton Fest 2026, and the collaboration goes even further as bKash conducted a seminar titled "The Code & Canvas: Power of Startups"
This sustained engagement reflects a strong, natural alignment between the two organisations. The BUP Career Club works to create a bridge between the corporate world and the university, helping fresh graduates reach their desired professions while equipping students with the skills to stay ahead of the competition. As Bangladesh's leading mobile financial services company and its first tech unicorn, bKash offers BUP students direct exposure to careers at the forefront of the country's fintech and digital-economy sectors, spanning technology, product, commercial, operations, and finance, while the company gains access to a strong pool of business and professional graduates suited to its fast-evolving operations.
