Bangla QR transactions hit Tk 1,500 crore in 40 days

Bangladesh's push towards a cashless economy has gathered pace, with the unified Bangla QR payment system processing roughly 5.6 million transactions worth approximately Taka 1,500 crore in the 40 days since its nationwide mandate took effect on 1 July, a senior Bangladesh Bank official has confirmed.

The uptake has been particularly pronounced in recent weeks: between 2 and 8 August alone, the system handled around 1.7 million transactions worth roughly Taka 487 crore, averaging some 240,000 transactions daily at a mean value of about Taka 2,865 each. Bangla QR functions as a single, universal code that customers can scan through any participating bank or mobile financial service app, eliminating the need for merchants to display separate codes for each payment provider and streamlining the checkout process for both shoppers and businesses.

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Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostakur Rahman has pressed for wider adoption of the system as part of the central bank's broader drive towards a safer, less cash-dependent economy, personally joining a promotional campaign in Chattogram on 7–8 August to urge merchants and consumers to embrace digital payments. Speaking at a workshop there, the governor argued that expanded digital payment usage could help curb extortion, reduce the risks associated with counterfeit currency, improve financial transparency, and lower government costs tied to currency printing and cash management.