Bangladesh Bank prioritised online payment service to accelerate e-commerce, Deputy Governor Nazneen Sultana said yesterday.

“Once people become habituated with IT [information technology] the success of e-commerce is just a matter of time,” she said.

But the financial institutions will have to ensure payment security and products will have to be delivered as promised, she added. Sultana's comments came at a roundtable on the potential and challenges of e-commerce as a business driver, held at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka.

The event, organised by Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), was part of an e-commerce week that started on Saturday.

In India, 58 percent of the electronic transaction takes place for air and train ticket purchase, said Uttam Nayak, VISA's country manager for India and South Asia.

To popularise the e-commerce service in Bangladesh, he suggested introducing prepaid cash card service to attract the low-income people.

He also suggested that all the financial institutions are put on the same electronic payment platform so that individual banks need not develop their own.

Shameem Ahsan, senior vice-president of BASIS, said online payment is more secured than card transactions at shops as the customers pay directly to the banks and not the online portal.

Firoz Patel, executive vice-president of Payza, the international online payment platform that recently started operations in Bangladesh, said his company wants to see rapid growth in e-commerce in Bangladesh.

Citing the tremendous growth of the readymade garment industry formed 20 years ago, Sayeeful Islam, managing director of SSLCOMMERZ, said e-commerce, if started now, can scale similar heights.

The participants -- ranging from foreign and local IT experts to bankers, banking regulators and businesspeople -- called for introduction of all kinds of debit and credit cards and mobile payment facility for ease of online shopping.

Zainul Haque Sikder, sponsor director and Chairman of National Bank Limited, inaugurates the 165th branch of the bank at Nimtola in Munshigonj Monday.

National Bank Limited opened its 165th branch at Nimtola in Munshigonj Monday.
Zainul Haque Sikder, sponsor director and Chairman of the bank inaugurated the branch as chief guest, said a press release.

Parveen Haque Sikder, Director and Chairperson of the Executive Committee, Rick Haque Sikder, Director of the bank, Md. Aslamul Haque, MP, spoke on the opening ceremony as special guests.

Neaz Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of the bank was present at the function.

Food Minister Dr. Md Abdur Razzaque, and M Sahabuddin Ahmed, founder and Chairman of Dutch-Bangla Bank Foundation are seen praying after unveiling the stone-plaque at Modhupur in Tangail recently.

Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited (DBBL) donated Tk 7 million to construct Sholakuri College Bhaban at Modhupur in Tangail recently.

Food Minister Dr. Md Abdur Razzaque attended the foundation as chief guest, said a press release.
M Sahabuddin Ahmed, founder and Chairman of Dutch-Bangla Bank Foundation,

unveiled a stone-plaque at the college premises and offered munazaat with all present at the event.

Sayem Ahmed, Chairman of EC of the Board, attended the function as special guest.
KS Tabrez, Managing Director and Sayedul Hasan, Deputy Managing Director of the bank,

local elite, students, teachers, members of the organising committee,

Chairman and Vice Chairman of Modhupur upazilla and Sholakuri Union Parishad were also present on the occasion.

A high official of Bank Asia handed over blankets to AFM Asaduzzaman, GM, Bangladesh Bank for distributing among the cold-hit people across the country at a function in Dhaka recently.

Bank Asia Limited distributed around 12,000 pieces of warm clothes among the cold-hit people under its CSR activities in different parts of the country.

The warm clothes were distributed in Rajshahi, Bogra, Iswardi, Mohadevpur in Natore, Chatkhil in Noakhali and Jessore districts with the help of the bank's rural branches, said a press release Sunday.

Export Import (Exim) Bank of Bangladesh Limited donated 3000 blankets to Bangladesh Bank for distributing among the cold-affected vulnerable people as a part of the bank’s CSR activities.

AFM Asaduzzaman, General Manager, Governor Secretariat of Bangladesh Bank received the blankets on behalf of Bangladesh Bank Governor from the Managing Director of Exim Bank Dr. Mohammed Haider Ali Miah in a programme at Bangladesh Bank Sunday.

Dr. Mohammed Haider Ali Miah, Managing Director of Exim Bank said Exim Bank distributed almost 150,000 blankets among the cold-affected vulnerable people this year.