The USA has been the top country in terms of international spending by Bangladeshi cardholders for the fifth consecutive month until November.

The North American country replaced India in July last year when Bangladesh faced deadly student protests over public job quotas, which subsequently toppled the Sheikh Hasina government in early August.

Since then, it has remained the top country for international spending by Bangladesh's credit cardholders, according to the Bangladesh Bank's (BB) monthly report on domestic and international usage of credit cards.

In November 2024, the USA accounted for 15.87 percent of the total Tk 431 crore spent by holders of Bangladesh's credit cards in foreign countries.

Spending in India, where thousands of Bangladeshi people visit for medical treatment, business, and tourism, was the second-highest in terms of international spending through credit cards in November. In October, spending through credit cards issued by banks in Bangladesh was the second highest in Thailand.

The central bank reported that overall transactions through credit cards in domestic and international markets declined in November compared to the previous month.

Transactions within Bangladesh fell by 2.55 percent to Tk 2,793 crore in November from Tk 2,866 crore in October.

Similarly, transactions outside the country stood at Tk 431 crore in November, down 13.5 percent from the previous month, according to the Bangladesh Bank, which prepared the report using data from 44 banks and one non-banking financial institution.

The data indicates a mixed spending pattern across different sectors.

Domestic spending at department stores fell to Tk 1,333 crore in November from Tk 1,400 crore a month ago. The Bangladesh Bank also noted that cash withdrawals and transportation expenses experienced slight increases.

Internationally, department stores continued to dominate spending, contributing to 29 percent of total transactions abroad.

Based on the data, it can be concluded that Bangladeshi credit cardholders conducted approximately 2.13 times more transactions outside the country compared to foreign nationals within Bangladesh in November 2024, the Bangladesh Bank reported.