title: "bKash vs Nagad: Which Payment Gateway Is Right for Your Online Store?" date: "2026-02-15" excerpt: "A practical comparison of bKash and Nagad for Bangladeshi online sellers — fees, setup process, and which one your customers prefer." category: "payments" author: "Banikh Team"
The Two Giants of Bangladeshi Mobile Payments
If you're running an online store in Bangladesh, you need to accept mobile payments. There are two clear leaders: bKash (owned by BRAC Bank, backed by Ant Group) and Nagad (owned by the Bangladesh Post Office).
Together, they cover well over 150 million registered wallets. Choosing both is almost always the right move, but if you're starting with one, here's what you need to know.
bKash: The Market Leader
Market share: ~70% of all mobile financial transactions in Bangladesh
Setup requirements:
- Trade license or NID (for personal merchants)
- bKash merchant account application (takes 3-7 business days)
- API credentials from bKash
Transaction fee: 1.5-1.8% per transaction (varies by agreement)
Why merchants love bKash: Nearly every Bangladeshi has bKash. It's the default payment expectation for online shoppers. If your store doesn't accept bKash, you will lose sales.
Downsides: The merchant account application process is slower than Nagad. API integration requires going through bKash's approval process.
Nagad: The Fast Challenger
Market share: ~25% and growing fast
Setup requirements:
- NID and selfie verification
- Nagad merchant account (can be set up in 24-48 hours)
- API credentials
Transaction fee: 1.0-1.5% per transaction
Why merchants love Nagad: Faster onboarding, lower transaction fees, and strong adoption in rural areas. Nagad also offers better cashback incentives to its users, which can drive purchases.
Downsides: Slightly lower urban market penetration compared to bKash.
Should You Use Both?
Yes. Here's why:
- Some customers only have bKash, some only have Nagad
- Offering both increases your checkout completion rate by ~15-20%
- The additional setup effort is minimal once you're on Banikh
With Banikh, you add both credentials in Settings → Payments. Your checkout page will automatically show both options to customers.
Cash on Delivery (COD): Still Important
Despite the rise of mobile payments, COD still accounts for roughly 40% of ecommerce orders in Bangladesh, especially for:
- First-time customers who don't trust new stores
- Customers in rural areas with limited mobile internet
- Higher-value purchases where customers want to inspect before paying
Banikh supports COD out of the box — no configuration needed.
Summary
| bKash | Nagad | COD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 3-7 days | 1-2 days | Instant |
| Transaction fee | 1.5-1.8% | 1.0-1.5% | None |
| Market reach | 70% | 25% | All |
| Recommended? | ✅ Must have | ✅ Recommended | ✅ Keep enabled |
Start with bKash, add Nagad within your first week, and keep COD always enabled.
