The government aims to further expand digital transactions by reducing the use of cash, thereby lowering the cost of printing currency. It also wants to ensure greater transparency in financial transactions while making payments for purchases, utility bills and other services easier for people.

To achieve this, Bangladesh Bank has made the use of the Bangla QR (Quick Response) code mandatory as part of efforts to create a simpler, more affordable and universally accessible digital payment system.

With the introduction of the Bangla QR code, customers of any bank or mobile financial service (MFS) provider can now make payments using the same QR code. In other words, customers of all banks and MFS providers can pay merchants through a single Bangla QR code, regardless of which financial institution they use.

In compliance with Bangladesh Bank’s directive, all banks and MFS providers that previously used their own QR codes have now replaced them with the Bangla QR code. As a result, the country’s digital payment system has been brought under a single platform.

According to Bangladesh Bank, the more widely the Bangla QR code is adopted, the less people will rely on cash, significantly reducing the risks associated with carrying physical money.

Countries including China, Estonia and India have implemented similar initiatives to transform their payment systems through digital technology, making cashless transactions easier and more transparent.

Bangladesh Bank is also planning to make the Bangla QR code mandatory for all government payment services in the future. At the same time, it is working on enabling QR-based transactions without requiring an internet connection.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Dutch-Bangla Bank Managing Director Md Ahteshamul Haque Khan said, “We have converted all of our QR codes to the Bangla QR system. As a result, customers of all banks and MFS providers can now make digital payments at our merchant locations. This has reduced the risks associated with carrying cash, while also eliminating the need for change. People can make transactions of any amount at any time.”

He added that Dutch-Bangla Bank has launched initiatives to promote cashless transactions at Banani Kitchen Market and Aziz Super Market in Shahbagh, aiming to eliminate the use of cash in those two marketplaces.

How Bangla QR works

A Bangla QR code, like any QR code, is a machine-readable code containing the bank account information and account holder’s identity of the payment recipient. Customers simply scan the code with their mobile phones to complete transactions.

For several years, banks as well as MFS providers such as bKash, Rocket and Nagad have allowed merchants to receive payments through their own proprietary QR codes.

Previously, large businesses often displayed multiple QR codes from different banks and MFS providers, while small and medium-sized merchants typically accepted payments through only one bank or one MFS provider. As a result, customers using other banks or MFS platforms often had to pay in cash.

Under the new system, merchants and service providers can now accept payments from all customers using a single Bangla QR code. Bangladesh Bank settles the transactions instantly through the National Payment Switch, transferring funds immediately from the customer’s bank or MFS account to the merchant’s account.

This creates the opportunity for everyone—from shopping malls to roadside vendors—to use one standard QR code. Customers will not incur any additional charges for using the Bangla QR system.

For example, a customer visiting another district may shop at a store that previously accepted only bKash QR payments, without any option to pay through a bank card or banking app.

In such situations, customers previously had to use cash. Now, with the universal Bangla QR code, they can simply scan the merchant’s code using their bank’s mobile app and complete the payment digitally, without needing cash. Banks and MFS providers involved in digital financial services say the new system greatly expands universal access to digital payments.

Rashedul Hasan, a shopkeeper in Dilkusha, Dhaka, told Prothom Alo yesterday, “Earlier, I accepted online payments only through the bKash app, so only bKash users could pay digitally. Now bKash has provided the Bangla QR code, so customers from any platform can pay. I hope this will increase my sales.”

Commenting on the initiative, Pubali Bank Managing Director Mohammad Ali said, “We have been conducting transactions through the Bangla QR system from the beginning. Now that everyone is using a single QR code, digital payments have become much easier for customers. It will also reduce costs. In the future, QR code-based payments will rapidly replace card transactions.”

QR code usage in Bangladesh

The Bangla QR system was first introduced as a pilot project in Motijheel, Dhaka, on 18 January 2023. By 2025, a total of 46 banks, seven MFS providers and four payment service providers had joined the Bangla QR elatform. By then, around 963,000 merchants across the country had begun using the system.

From 1 November 2025, all banks, payment service providers (PSPs), payment service operators (PSOs) and MFS providers began offering instant interoperable transactions. Smartphones and internet connectivity are the primary tools for such transactions.

To promote uss of the QR code, Bangladesh Bank has facilitated the sale of nearly 30,000 smartphones to low-income users through instalment financing. It also officially made the Bangla QR code mandatory starting Wednesday.

According to Bangladesh Bank and several commercial banks, approximately 900,000 bKash QR codes, 450,000 Nagad QR codes, 270,000 Dutch-Bangla Bank QR codes (including Rocket), 190,000 Pubali Bank QR codes, 80,000 Islami Bank QR codes, 54,000 Sonali Bank QR codes, 50,000 Mutual Trust Bank QR codes and 38,000 City Bank QR codes have all been converted into Bangla QR codes.

Bangladesh Bank data show that customers of commercial banks conducted transactions worth Tk 20.96 billion through QR codes in April alone. During the same month, MFS customers completed QR-based transactions worth Tk 42.43 billion.

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Economy and PlanningIn the future, the government is working to bring all types of financial transactions under a single system. This will reduce the use of cash while making everyday life easier for the people

City Bank Deputy Managing Director Arup Haider told Prothom Alo, “We currently have nearly 40,000 QR code-enabled merchant outlets across the country. This year we plan to increase that number three to fourfold. All of City Bank’s QR codes have already been replaced with Bangla QR codes.”

Delegation to visit Estonia

Estonia is regarded as one of the world’s leading examples of a cashless digital economy, with about 99 percent of its financial transactions conducted digitally. Bangladesh hopes to learn from Estonia’s experience.

A government delegation is scheduled to visit Estonia next Sunday. The delegation will include representatives from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and other relevant ministries and agencies, along with Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman and the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Economy and Planning, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said, “Our election manifesto pledged to introduce a ‘One Citizen, One ID, One Digital Wallet’ system. We want to implement that commitment gradually. Since Estonia is among the global leaders in digital payments, we want to benefit from its experience.”

Titumir said the introduction of the Bangla QR code is part of the government’s broader effort to expand cashless transactions.

“In the future, the government is working to bring all types of financial transactions under a single system. This will reduce the use of cash while making everyday life easier for the people,” he said.