Landscape Assessment of Retail Micro-Merchants in Bangladesh

Almost 2 million retail micro-merchants operate in Bangladesh. While individually their businesses are small, together they transact more than $18.42 billion annually and interact with millions of customers every day. Yet they are an underserved cash-based group largely left out of modern digital payments and other financial services. 

This study aims to support retail micro-merchants to earn a better living and raise awareness of a commercial opportunity in financial services and Fast Moving Consumer Goods. The study addresses gaps in data and contributes to understanding of the market size, the nature of micro-merchant operations and opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. It hopes to support policy makers, business partners and development partners take greater interest and action on their behalf. A key conclusion is the importance of digitization, credit and banking to suit their needs.