The government will begin a pilot rollout of the Expatriate Card next month, initially issuing dual-currency expatriate debit cards through Janata Bank.
The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday, according to Shahadat Swadhin, Deputy Press Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office.
The card aims to improve services for Bangladeshi expatriates by providing easier access to banking, international payments and government services. Planned benefits include airport lounge access, faster immigration processing, discounts on travel and hotel bookings, healthcare discounts, insurance support, rehabilitation assistance for returning migrants, and priority access to selected government services, including NID, passport and consular facilities.
Cardholders are also expected to receive remittance reward points, improved access to loans through credit scoring, and easier money transfers.
The initiative is part of the government's election commitments, following the introduction of the Family Card, Farmers Card and Sports Card. Officials said the pilot launch is scheduled for mid-next month, with a target of issuing 50,000 cards by December and 200,000 by June next year.
In the second phase, the Expatriate Welfare Bank will oversee all card-related operations.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister directed officials to modernize the National Skill Development Authority and ensure that Bangladeshi expatriates worldwide are brought under the Expatriate Card programme.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, BMET, the Expatriate Welfare Bank and the Prime Minister's Office.
