Introduction

Introduction

Bangladesh is a country of 164.7 million people in South Asia, borderedbyIndia,Nepal,andPakistan.Thecapitalcity,Dhaka, is a thriving urban center that accounts for nearly 14% of the population. While ranking consistently on the lower end of global health systems development, Bangladesh has made significantstridesinrecentyears.Theinfantmortalityratehas decreased from 63.09 in 2000 to 25.4 in 2019, while maternal mortalityhasdroppedfrom434deathsper100,000livebirths in2000to173deathsper100,000livebirthsin2017. Inthefollowingseriesofnotes,MrTawfiqHassanandMsNabila Khurshedevaluatethepotentialforfintechtoimproveaccessto healthcareinBangladesh.Massimplementationoffintechoften begins with the digitization of payments. In Bangladesh, the decades-long rise in mobile-based services, coupled with the more recent pandemic-driven push to move services to online platforms, has paved the way for cashless transactions in a heavilycash-basedsociety. Two case studies, featuring the company Apon and Digital Health Solutions….. which offers affordable products and services for industrial workers in Bangladesh, illustrate the impact of specialized marketplace products on ready-made garment workers. As early as 2016, Digital Health Solutions (formerly Telenor Health) was a pioneer in integrating fintech andhealthtechsolutionswiththe“Tonic”programthatprovided affordablemicroinsuranceandteleconsultations.