Probashi Card being tested in 4–5 countries: Nur

The government is testing the Probashi Card in four to five countries, including Jordan and South Korea, to provide expatriate Bangladeshis with priority services and financial benefits, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur said today.

Expatriates will have to register for the card, which is linked to a payment gateway for international financial transactions. The government is assessing the response during the trials, he said.

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Speaking at a programme marking the 30th anniversary of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) and Shonar Manush Shommilon 2026 at a city hotel, he said the government had identified 11 areas for priority services through the card and was working to raise the cash incentive on formal remittances from 2.5 percent to 3 percent for cardholders.

Proposed benefits also include priority services at government hospitals, discounts of at least 5 percent at private hospitals and faster resolution of land-related disputes for expatriates visiting Bangladesh.

The government is also working to expand Probashi Kallyan Bank's services to include general banking and link it with the card programme. Returning migrant workers seeking loans to start businesses or build homes would receive priority, with their remittance records taken into account, Nur said.

On recruitment fraud, he said Bangladesh had more than 3,000 recruiting agencies, but estimated that only 300 to 500 might perform satisfactorily under strict assessment. He called for tighter regulation, noting that some agencies barred from the online recruitment system over alleged irregularities had resumed operations.

Nur acknowledged that the government had not done enough to protect women migrant workers facing abuse in the Middle East. He said there are safe houses in Riyadh, Jeddah and Oman while rehabilitation and training support were available for workers returning in distress.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman, ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir and other guests also spoke at the event.