Published : 16 Sep 2025, 03:06 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:48 PM
Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur has announced plans to introduce an interoperable payment system that will allow digital transactions across all platforms and financial accounts through a single system.
Speaking at a discussion held on Monday at a hotel in Dhaka, he said previous attempts had failed but this time the system will be launched “successfully”.
He added that through a single gateway, digital transactions on all platforms will be possible.
The event, titled “Stakeholder Discussion on Interoperable Payments in Bangladesh”, was jointly organised by the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) and the Gates Foundation.
The Gates Foundation will provide technical support for the system.
Mansur said a unified, instant payment system is crucial for the country. “A previous project failed due to management and capital issues. With the support of the Gates Foundation, a tested and time-proven model is now being implemented.”
“Once launched quickly, it will usher the financial sector into a new era,” he added.
Highlighting the need to digitally integrate microfinance institutions, he warned that without technological transformation, such organisations would struggle to remain sustainable due to high operational costs.
Digitisation, Mansur said, would help reduce expenses, streamline loan disbursement, and ensure greater transparency.
He added that technology-driven microfinance could become a key financial tool for Bangladesh’s low-income population in the future.
Touching on agent banking, Mansur said recruiting 50 percent women into the agent network is a realistic goal, particularly as more girls than boys now complete higher secondary education.
“This will make banking services more accessible to housewives and women who have largely remained outside the financial system.”
He also pointed out that the use of cash is still rising at a rate of 10 percent per year, posing “a significant challenge” amid the country’s progress in digital finance.
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan said the country will soon introduce an inclusive instant payment system (IIPS).
The system will connect mobile wallets, banks, and other financial institutions on a single network, enabling faster and more efficient transactions, he added.
