Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan H Mansur said all organizations operating with trade licenses must use QR code to launch digital banking services. Otherwise, they will be penalized.

He said that QR code must be brought to practice in conducting business. Organizations that that have trade licenses must have QR code. Customers will have to pay tax bills. Those who have trade licenses will be penalized if they do not have QR code.

He said this while speaking as chief guest at the ‘Cashless Bangladesh Summit-2025’ jointly organised by Institute of Cost Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) and MasterCard at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He said BB’s is the main stakeholder in launching the cashless society. We have to come out of the traditional banking. We have to come out of giving salary in cash. There must be an interoperable system here. We are working with a company of Bill Gates to operate the system. They may come next month.

He said the problem of obtaining a national identity card will be solved to remove obstacles to cashless system. Governor Ahsan H. Mansur said, the national identity card is an important issue here. Earlier, NID was done only for voting. Now it is important to cover all areas including national security. He said it would be mandatory for school students to open a bank account.

Our main goal is to make the institution more capable and stable. The governor said, discussions have been held with the Gates Foundation’s Mojaloop about launching inter-transaction system. They will come to Bangladesh next month.
He said, the previous government had built an institution with their relatives. With the fall of the government, they too have disappeared.

Mahtab Uddin Ahmed FCMA, President, ICMAB, said,”Bangladesh is at a critical juncture in its financial evolution. The shift to a cashless economy is no longer a distant goal but an immediate necessity. This summit has brought together the right stakeholders to act on creating a digital-first financial system that promotes transparency, security, and inclusion.”
Syed Mohammad Kamal, Country Manager, Bangladesh, Mastercard, said, “Mastercard is proud to host the ‘Cashless Bangladesh Summit 2025’in collaboration with ICMAB and support the country’sjourney toward a digitally empowered economy. A cashless society drives innovation, enhances efficiency, and expands financial access across all sectors and communities. Today’s dialoguesmark a significant step in shaping a future-ready, inclusive Bangladesh.”

Policy Exchange Bangladesh Chairman and CEO Dr. M. Masrur Riaz and Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Honorary Fellow of private research organization Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD). Secretary of the ICT Division, Shish Haider Chowdhury. Panelists included Md Sharafat Ullah Khan, Director of the Payment Systems Division of Bangladesh Bank, Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Managing Director and CEO of Mutual Trust Bank PLC, Ali Ahmed, Chief Commercial Officer of bKash Limited, Zakia Sultana, Director of MasterCard, Adnan Imtiaz Halim, Chairman of Sheba Platform, Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Majumder, Secretary of the Finance Division Abdur Rahman Khan, Chairman of NBR were among others present.