The central bank along with Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) is going to organise an e-commerce week on Saturday to create mass awareness and increase the volume of e-transaction in the country.

People are not buying online even when the opportunity exists, and mass awareness is required to encourage online shopping, said Nazneen Sultana, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, at a press briefing at BASIS office in the capital yesterday.

The inauguration of the e-commerce week will be held at The Westin Hotel in Dhaka.

Sultana said currently people can do online shopping domestically. The central bank does not permit overseas shopping, she said. "But in some cases, banks can allow its accountholders to do that."

She said the central bank has already established national payment switch and connected three banks, which will help online payment.

"Other banks will be connected too. After a couple of months, Bangladesh Bank will set up national payment gateway," she said.

Online shopping is more secure than with debit or credit cards at any shop as the customers pay directly to the banks rather the online portal, said Shameem Ahsan, convenor of the week.

The central bank has developed infrastructure and it is time to use it for electronic business or trade, said Ashim Kumar Dasgupta, executive director of Bangladesh Bank.

More than two crore people are involved in mobile banking which will increase the opportunity of online shopping, Dasgupta said.