8^th May 2023 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) and bKash Limited (bKash), the largest Mobile Financial Services provider in Bangladesh, announce today their partnership to promote further financial inclusion through sports. With this brand endorsement initiative, bKash, the champion of financial inclusion in Bangladesh, becomes the first and only Bangladeshi brand partner of the reigning and three-time FIFA World Cup champion, Argentina National Team. During the 2022 World Cup, Argentina received unprecedented support and warmth from Bangladeshi fans as always. Following that excitement of the greatest show on earth, the World Cup champion now endorses bKash which embodies the spirit of human aspiration.

After years of support for Argentina National Football Team worldwide, the AFA has devised diverse brand expansion programs in countries like Bangladesh, India, China and Middle East. Bangladesh’s no.1 brand, bKash, due to its dependable and trustworthy reputation, has been a natural match for AFA. Both institutions have won the hearts of millions of Bangladeshis and will now be a bridge between die-hard football fans and their favorite superstars like Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Julián Alvarez, Emi Martinez - just to name a few. For millions of Bangladeshis, their enduring love for football lives with their magical experience of watching Diego Maradona, one of the greatest footballers in history, play and win at the FIFA World Cup.

Football fans and users of bKash will now be able to gain invaluable experiences and feel closer to the superstars they love. This partnership that begins today is the expression of the trajectory and greater scope of the Argentina National Football Team and bKash. The largest Bangladeshi Mobile Financial Services brand bKash caters to 70 million people in Bangladesh with its diverse range of services, becoming an integral part of the lives of millions. Today, this impactful brand joins hands in this exciting journey of empowerment and financial inclusion through sports.

Claudio Fabian Tapia, President of AFA, said: “The Argentina National Football Team has felt throughout the World Cup the strong and passionate support of the Bangladeshi community. We are very delighted to have bKash, an emblematic Bangladeshi FinTech company, as the first regional brand partner of the Argentine Football Association. A true milestone of financial inclusion has been achieved in Bangladesh through bKash. This collaboration will take us closer to new regions where our National Football Team has millions of fans. We welcome bKash as the first regional brand partner of Argentine Football Association in Bangladesh.”

Kamal Quadir, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of bKash, said: “Football is a sport that unites the world towards empowerment and entertainment. As part of this, the classical Argentine football and their star-studded squads have been mesmerizing the world with their skills, rhythm and sportsmanship. The strong support of the Bangladeshi fans for the Argentine National Football team in the 2022 World Cup has earned global admiration. Similarly, the resilient growth of Bangladesh has also earned global recognition. With the relentless commitment of our passionate people to push for robust growth, Bangladesh is on its way to becoming a trillion-dollar economy. In light of these aspirations, Bangladesh's most loved brand bKash is excited to collaborate with the world's top football team Argentina and players like Lionel Messi. This partnership will explore new opportunities of solidarity through sports and entertainment while helping to tell the inspiring story of Bangladesh to the world in an immersive and emotional way.”

Leandro Petersen, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of AFA, said: “Throughout the last five years we have stablished a strategic view and goal for our Argentine Football Association, recovering international prestige and world-wide commercial attractiveness, this regional brand partnership with bKash is the outcome of dedicated team work and a clear direction in where AFA puts its focus. The global expansion of the AFA brand, in markets such as China, India, Middle East and now Bangladesh is a fact. Fans and bKash users will be closer to the players they love, thanks to the efforts of a leader brand like bKash. We are pleased to announce that bKash has become the first regional brand partner in Bangladesh's history. It is our mission to work together and strengthen this partnership and continue generating new opportunities and interactions with international brands at the level of bKash. The AFA and bKash will jointly promote each other and develop actions that will increase the synergy and power of their brands.” 

About bKash

Launched in 2011, bKash, a joint venture of BRAC Bank, US based Money in Motion LLC, International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ant Group, and SoftBank Vision Fund operates as a payment service provider, regulated by the Bangladesh Bank. bKash offers a broad range of digital financial services in a secured, convenient and easy way via mobile phones to both the unbanked and the banked people of Bangladesh. Over the years, bKash has become an integral part of the lives of millions of Bangladeshis through its customer centric technological innovations. bKash has also gained worldwide recognition for its innovative business model, ranked 23^rd in Fortune Magazine's Top 50 'Change the World' list in 2017 for making sustainable changes based on social issues and honored as 'Best for Digital Solutions in Bangladesh' in 2022 by Asiamoney. It has been awarded as the country’s Best Brand for four consecutive years in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 through consumer surveys by Bangladesh Brand Forum and NielsenIQ.

Official Site: https://www.bkash.com/