National Payment Switch (NPS) service to be launched soon: Atiur
‘Around 79 pc banks offering online banking services’
Dhaka, July 9 (UNB) - Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman on Monday said the central bank will soon launch National Payment Switch (NPS) service which will help develop e-commerce even faster with electronic clearance of all financial transactions.
“If we can continue the present momentum, the dream of transforming our beloved nation into ‘Digital Bangladesh’ will not be far away, at least in the field of banking,” he told an international conference at Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
TOTAL Communications and Bankers’ CTO Forum arranged the event, titled ‘4th International Banking and Mobile Commerce Conference’. NI Khan of the Prime Minister’s Office also spoke on the occasion, according to a BB release.
Speaking as the chief guest in the inaugural session, Atiur said fast expanding mobile telephony in the country has opened up windows of opportunity for creative partnerships of banks and mobile telephone companies in devising cost effective arrangements for delivery of financial services.
“Bangladesh Bank has been encouraging such bank-led partnerships which will bring about a win-win situation for all concerned,” he said.
A number of such BB-approved partnerships are already active and the BB has already issued guidelines for mobile financial services to facilitate mobile banking in the country, the central bank chief said.
“Out of the 47 banks operating in the country, 37 banks have become fully online, four partially online and six are in the process of becoming online. So, around 79 percent banks in the country are offering online banking services,” he said.
Atiur mentioned that as of June 2012, some 23 banks have got NOC from the Bangladesh Bank to introduce mobile financial services in the country, and among those, 14 banks have already launched their services.
These services include disbursement of inward foreign remittances, person to business (utility bill payments), business to person (salary disbursement), person to person, government to person (allowances like freedom fighter allowance), person to government payment (tax payment), etc.
The central bank governor also said that around 0.7 million mobile accounts have already been opened under Mobile Financial Services and transaction volume amounts to Tk 7.13 billion up to May 2012.
“Mobile companies operating in the country are collecting utility bills through their outlets,” he said, adding the number of the collection is around half a million per month on an average. They are also selling railway tickets averaging around 12,000 per month.
“If we can continue the present momentum, the dream of transforming our beloved nation into ‘Digital Bangladesh’ will not be far away, at least in the field of banking,” he told an international conference at Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
TOTAL Communications and Bankers’ CTO Forum arranged the event, titled ‘4th International Banking and Mobile Commerce Conference’. NI Khan of the Prime Minister’s Office also spoke on the occasion, according to a BB release.
Speaking as the chief guest in the inaugural session, Atiur said fast expanding mobile telephony in the country has opened up windows of opportunity for creative partnerships of banks and mobile telephone companies in devising cost effective arrangements for delivery of financial services.
“Bangladesh Bank has been encouraging such bank-led partnerships which will bring about a win-win situation for all concerned,” he said.
A number of such BB-approved partnerships are already active and the BB has already issued guidelines for mobile financial services to facilitate mobile banking in the country, the central bank chief said.
“Out of the 47 banks operating in the country, 37 banks have become fully online, four partially online and six are in the process of becoming online. So, around 79 percent banks in the country are offering online banking services,” he said.
Atiur mentioned that as of June 2012, some 23 banks have got NOC from the Bangladesh Bank to introduce mobile financial services in the country, and among those, 14 banks have already launched their services.
These services include disbursement of inward foreign remittances, person to business (utility bill payments), business to person (salary disbursement), person to person, government to person (allowances like freedom fighter allowance), person to government payment (tax payment), etc.
The central bank governor also said that around 0.7 million mobile accounts have already been opened under Mobile Financial Services and transaction volume amounts to Tk 7.13 billion up to May 2012.
“Mobile companies operating in the country are collecting utility bills through their outlets,” he said, adding the number of the collection is around half a million per month on an average. They are also selling railway tickets averaging around 12,000 per month.
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