Mobile money company bKash and Huawei inked an expanded agreement to boost digital financial inclusion in its home market of Bangladesh.

The pair have worked together since 2017 on digitising bKash’s mobile financial services, which currently span mobile top-up, remittance, retail payments, savings and small loan facilities.

As part of the expanded agreement, detailed in a memorandum of understanding covering “smart fintech” initiatives, the partners committed to measures designed to further improve the rate of financial inclusion, and associated wider societal impact.

Huawei Bangladesh president Pan Junfeng noted the pact will “deepen our partnership to empower and enable more people in Bangladesh to seize the benefits of the digital economy for development”.

The executive added the partnership will “drive the growth of the digital economy in Bangladesh, setting a remarkable example to other…countries in the region, when it comes to financial inclusion”.

bKash claims to be the largest mobile payment operator in Bangladesh, providing services to 68 million people.