Wallets/brac-bank
BRAC Bank (Astha App)
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Overview
BRAC Bank (Astha App) is Bangladeshi commercial bank + BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling + Astha 1M users Aug 2025 + Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025 - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app + 53% Astha users 21-35 age range + bKash QR + Bangla QR + cardless ATM withdrawal via code [1, 2, bd-cro]. 2025 baseline: BRAC Bank Astha 1M users Aug 2025 (up from 900,000+ May 2025) + Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025 - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app + 53% Astha users in 21-35 age range; 'Astha' app achieves major milestone with 1m users Aug 2025 distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking milestone; Astha set a new benchmark in the industry by facilitating Tk20,000 crore in monthly transactions Jul 2025—the highest ever for a banking app in the Bangladesh banking sector distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking transaction volume record.
Distinctive BRAC Bank positioning:
- Bangladeshi commercial bank (BRAC Bank PLC; DSE + CSE: BRACBANK; BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling)
- BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling distinctive Bangladeshi NGO-bank ecosystem (largest NGO in the world by number of employees)
- Astha 1M users Aug 2025 distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking milestone (up from 900,000+ May 2025)
- Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025 - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking transaction volume record
- 53% Astha users 21-35 age range distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking youth demographic prioritising autonomy, convenience, and seamless technological integration
- bKash QR + Bangla QR + cardless ATM withdrawal via code distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking comprehensive features
- Jul 4 2001 BRAC Bank PLC founding as fully Bangladeshi commercial bank by BRAC NGO + Shorebank Corp USA + International Finance Corporation IFC distinctive Bangladeshi NGO-bank heritage
- Astha real-time fund transfers through NPSB + BEFTN + RTGS + VISA Direct + wallet partners + bill payments + mobile top-ups + Bangla QR and bKash QR payments + cardless ATM withdrawals via code + standing instructions for recurring payments distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking comprehensive offering
History
1972 — BRAC NGO Bangladesh founded by Fazle Hasan Abed distinctive Bangladeshi NGO heritage (largest NGO in the world by number of employees).
Jul 4 2001 — BRAC Bank PLC founded as fully Bangladeshi commercial bank by BRAC NGO + Shorebank Corp USA + International Finance Corporation IFC distinctive Bangladeshi NGO-bank heritage.
2007 — BRAC Bank DSE + CSE IPO under ticker BRACBANK distinctive Bangladeshi commercial banking listings.
2018 — BRAC Bank Astha mobile banking app launch distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking strategy.
May 2025 — BRAC Bank Astha 900,000+ customers.
Jul 2025 — BRAC Bank Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app [1, 2].
Aug 2025 — BRAC Bank Astha 1M users milestone + 53% Astha users 21-35 age range [3].
Ownership & operator
Operating entity: BRAC Bank PLC (DSE: BRACBANK; CSE: BRACBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank since 2001; BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling).
Major shareholders: BRAC NGO Bangladesh (largest NGO in the world by number of employees; founded 1972 by Fazle Hasan Abed) majority controlling + International Finance Corporation IFC + Bangladeshi retail + institutional + foreign investors.
Regulators: Bangladesh Bank (BB) + BSEC (Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission).
Technical integration
BRAC Bank Astha mobile banking app (iOS + Android; 1M users Aug 2025; Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025) + bracbank.com online + BRAC Bank branch network across Bangladesh + BRAC Bank Visa + Mastercard cards; NPSB (National Payment Switch Bangladesh) + BEFTN (Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network) + RTGS + Bangla QR + bKash QR; Astha real-time fund transfers through NPSB + BEFTN + RTGS + VISA Direct + wallet partners + bill payments + mobile top-ups + Bangla QR and bKash QR payments + cardless ATM withdrawals via code + standing instructions for recurring payments distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking comprehensive offering.
Users & growth
Aug 2025: BRAC Bank Astha 1M users milestone + 53% Astha users 21-35 age range; Jul 2025: BRAC Bank Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app; May 2025: BRAC Bank Astha 900,000+ customers.
Use cases
Bangladeshi retail + private + SME + commercial + youth (21-35 age range) banking via BRAC Bank Astha mobile + bracbank.com online + BRAC Bank branch network across Bangladesh + Visa/Mastercard cards; NPSB + BEFTN + RTGS + Bangla QR + bKash QR; Astha real-time fund transfers through NPSB + BEFTN + RTGS + VISA Direct + wallet partners + bill payments + mobile top-ups + Bangla QR and bKash QR payments + cardless ATM withdrawals via code + standing instructions for recurring payments distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking comprehensive offering.
Implementations & partners
Operator: BRAC Bank PLC (DSE: BRACBANK; CSE: BRACBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank since 2001; BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling); BRAC NGO Bangladesh (largest NGO in the world by number of employees; founded 1972 by Fazle Hasan Abed) majority controlling + International Finance Corporation IFC + Bangladeshi retail + institutional + foreign investors.
BRAC NGO Bangladesh ecosystem: BRAC NGO Bangladesh (largest NGO in the world by number of employees; founded 1972 by Fazle Hasan Abed) majority controlling BRAC Bank + BRAC University + BRAC Education + BRAC Health + BRAC Microfinance + BRAC International + bKash (BRAC Bank + Money in Motion LLC USA + Ant Group + IFC subsidiary) distinctive Bangladeshi NGO-bank ecosystem.
bKash partnership: [[bkash]] (Bangladeshi bKash mobile money; BRAC Bank parent + Money in Motion LLC USA + Ant Group + IFC + others investors; ~70M+ users; Bangladesh's #1 mobile financial service).
Major Bangladeshi banking + payments competitors: [[city-bank-bd]] (The City Bank PLC; DSE: CITYBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank) + [[ucb-bangladesh]] (United Commercial Bank PLC; DSE: UCBL; Bangladeshi commercial bank) + [[islami-bank-bd]] (Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC; DSE: ISLAMIBANK; Bangladesh's largest Islamic bank by assets) + [[prime-bank-bd]] (Prime Bank PLC; DSE: PRIMEBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank) + [[eastern-bank-bd]] (Eastern Bank PLC; DSE: EBL; Bangladeshi commercial bank) + [[dutch-bangla-bank]] (Dutch-Bangla Bank PLC; DSE: DUTCHBANGL; Bangladeshi commercial bank + Nexus card scheme) + [[standard-chartered-bd]] (Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Standard Chartered foreign commercial bank in Bangladesh) + [[bkash]] (Bangladeshi bKash mobile money; BRAC Bank parent + Money in Motion LLC USA + Ant Group + IFC subsidiary; ~70M+ users) + [[nagad]] (Bangladeshi Nagad mobile financial service; Bangladesh Post Office majority controlling; ~80M+ users) + [[rocket-dbbl]] (Bangladeshi Rocket DBBL mobile financial service; Dutch-Bangla Bank subsidiary) + [[upay-bd]] (Bangladeshi Upay mobile financial service; United Commercial Bank UCB subsidiary).
Regulators: Bangladesh Bank (BB) + BSEC.
Fun facts
- Bangladeshi commercial bank (BRAC Bank PLC; DSE + CSE: BRACBANK).
- BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling distinctive Bangladeshi NGO-bank ecosystem (largest NGO in the world by number of employees).
- Astha 1M users Aug 2025 distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking milestone (up from 900,000+ May 2025).
- Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025 - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking transaction volume record.
- 53% Astha users 21-35 age range distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking youth demographic prioritising autonomy, convenience, and seamless technological integration.
- bKash QR + Bangla QR + cardless ATM withdrawal via code distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking comprehensive features.
- Jul 4 2001 BRAC Bank PLC founding as fully Bangladeshi commercial bank by BRAC NGO + Shorebank Corp USA + International Finance Corporation IFC distinctive Bangladeshi NGO-bank heritage.
- Astha real-time fund transfers through NPSB + BEFTN + RTGS + VISA Direct + wallet partners + bill payments + mobile top-ups + Bangla QR and bKash QR payments + cardless ATM withdrawals via code + standing instructions for recurring payments distinctive Bangladeshi mobile banking comprehensive offering.
Comparison
| Feature | BRAC Bank | [[bkash]] (Bangladeshi bKash mobile money rival; BRAC Bank parent + Money in Motion LLC USA + Ant Group + IFC subsidiary; ~70M+ users) | [[city-bank-bd]] (The City Bank PLC rival; Bangladeshi commercial bank) | [[ucb-bangladesh]] (United Commercial Bank PLC rival; Bangladeshi commercial bank) | [[islami-bank-bd]] (Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC rival; Bangladesh's largest Islamic bank by assets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | BRAC Bank PLC (DSE: BRACBANK; CSE: BRACBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank since 2001; BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling) | bKash Limited (BRAC Bank parent + Money in Motion LLC USA + Ant Group + IFC + others investors) | The City Bank PLC (DSE: CITYBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank) | United Commercial Bank PLC (DSE: UCBL; Bangladeshi commercial bank) | Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC (DSE: ISLAMIBANK; Bangladesh's largest Islamic bank by assets) |
| Type | Bangladeshi commercial bank + BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling + Astha 1M users Aug 2025 + Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025 - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app + 53% Astha users 21-35 age range + bKash QR + Bangla QR + cardless ATM withdrawal via code | Bangladeshi bKash mobile money + BRAC Bank parent + Money in Motion LLC USA + Ant Group + IFC + others investors + ~70M+ users + Bangladesh's #1 mobile financial service | Bangladeshi commercial bank | Bangladeshi commercial bank | Bangladesh's largest Islamic bank by assets |
| Country | BD | BD | BD | BD | BD |
| Distinctive | 1972 BRAC NGO Bangladesh founding by Fazle Hasan Abed (largest NGO in the world by number of employees); Jul 4 2001 BRAC Bank PLC founding as fully Bangladeshi commercial bank by BRAC NGO + Shorebank Corp USA + International Finance Corporation IFC; 2007 BRAC Bank DSE + CSE IPO under ticker BRACBANK; 2018 BRAC Bank Astha mobile banking app launch; Jul 2025 BRAC Bank Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app; Aug 2025 BRAC Bank Astha 1M users milestone + 53% Astha users 21-35 age range | 2010 bKash founding by BRAC Bank + Money in Motion LLC USA; ~70M+ users; Bangladesh's #1 mobile financial service | 1983 The City Bank founding | 1983 United Commercial Bank founding | 1983 Islami Bank Bangladesh founding |
Status
Active, Bangladeshi commercial bank + BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling + Astha 1M users Aug 2025 + Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025 - highest ever for any Bangladesh banking app + 53% Astha users 21-35 age range [1, 2, 3]:
- BRAC Bank PLC (DSE: BRACBANK; CSE: BRACBANK; Bangladeshi commercial bank since 2001; BRAC NGO Bangladesh majority controlling) since 1972 BRAC NGO Bangladesh founding by Fazle Hasan Abed + Jul 4 2001 BRAC Bank PLC founding as fully Bangladeshi commercial bank by BRAC NGO + Shorebank Corp USA + International Finance Corporation IFC + 2007 BRAC Bank DSE + CSE IPO under ticker BRACBANK + 2018 BRAC Bank Astha mobile banking app launch.
- BRAC Bank Astha 1M users Aug 2025 + Astha Tk20,000 crore monthly transactions Jul 2025.
- Astha real-time fund transfers through NPSB + BEFTN + RTGS + VISA Direct + wallet partners + bill payments + mobile top-ups + Bangla QR and bKash QR payments + cardless ATM withdrawals via code + standing instructions for recurring payments.
- Bangladesh Bank (BB) + BSEC regulated.
Sources
- 1 'Astha' app achieves major milestone with 1m users — Dhaka Tribune
- 2 How customers are banking smarter with BRAC Bank's Astha application — The Business Standard
- 3 BRAC Bank — Wikipedia
- bd-cro In-corpus:
reports/countries/BD-bangladesh.md
Source
Biography extracted from brac-bank.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.