A bank must have at least two rural agent banking outlet if it wants to open one urban agent banking outlet, according to a guidance note Bangladesh Bank issued yesterday.

The move comes a day after allowing agent banking activities in the rural areas, including municipalities.

Earlier, on March 24 this year, Bangladesh Bank imposed restriction on agent banking in rural areas, which is still applicable in metropolitan or city corporations.

According to the guidance note, target groups those really need to be served with financial services under agent banking are the non-privileged and underserved locations.

Banks will give much emphasis on the rural areas to cover lion share of the target group, but at the same time, will not ignore the rest of the target group by concentrating on the urban area in a limited scope.

Bank will provide priority to rural areas for their operation of agent banking, said the note.