Making Bangla QR an everyday habit with Bank Asia

Bangla QR is no longer a question of whether the infrastructure exists. Bangladesh Bank has already established it as a unified and interoperable QR-based payment system. The bigger challenge now is much more practical: how do we make people use it regularly?

For Bangla QR to become part of everyday life, it needs to move beyond availability and become a habit among both consumers and merchants. Many people are already familiar with digital payments, but cash remains the preferred option for a large number of everyday transactions, particularly at small businesses and outside the major urban centres.

This is where awareness and merchant confidence become important. At Bank Asia, we have been actively supporting Bangladesh Bank's initiative to take Bangla QR to the grassroots. We have conducted awareness and merchant-acquisition campaigns in different districts, including Gopalganj and Narsingdi, where Bank Asia worked as the lead bank. More recently, we conducted a campaign in Bhola, with rallies, seminars and other awareness activities involving merchants and local communities.

Our experience tells us that sustained engagement at the district and community level will be important if Bangla QR is to become an everyday payment habit.

Illustration: TBS

For a small merchant, the value of Bangla QR is ultimately quite simple. It gives them another way to receive payments without having to depend entirely on cash. It can reduce the hassle of handling, counting and storing cash, while giving customers a convenient way to pay.

But simply telling merchants about digital payments is not enough. They need to see how easily Bangla QR can fit into their day-to-day business. That is why our approach at Bank Asia has involved taking the conversation directly to merchants through seminars, rallies, awareness programmes and district-level campaigns.

The campaigns in Gopalganj, Narsingdi and Bhola have reinforced the importance of this direct engagement. Once merchants understand that Bangla QR is a simple, unified payment solution that sits within the national payment ecosystem, it becomes much less complicated in their eyes.

The real turning point will come when merchants stop seeing digital payment as an extra responsibility and start seeing it as a convenient way of serving their customers.

The same principle applies to consumers. Bangla QR has the potential to reduce dependence on cash, but its impact will ultimately depend on how often people actually use it.

We should therefore not judge the success of Bangla QR simply by counting how many QR codes have been distributed or displayed at shops. The more important question is whether people are actually scanning those codes and making payments.

If a customer can walk into a neighbourhood shop, buy groceries, medicine or clothing and pay instantly through Bangla QR instead of taking out cash, that is when the system begins to make a real difference. That is also how digital payments can gradually contribute to a less-cash economy.

For this reason, I see Bangla QR as part of Bangladesh's wider digital financial transformation rather than simply another payment tool. At Bank Asia, we are trying to contribute to that transformation by taking awareness beyond the major cities and into local businesses and communities.

I also would not necessarily describe Bangla QR as being in competition with cards or mobile financial services. A healthy digital payment ecosystem should give consumers different convenient options, with different channels working alongside one another.

Bangla QR has a particular advantage in that it is a unified and interoperable payment mechanism under the national payment framework. The focus now should be on making it easier and more familiar for people to use.

Consumers need to become comfortable with scanning and paying for everyday purchases, while merchants need to see QR payments as a normal part of doing business. Alongside that, we need continued investment in reliable connectivity, payment infrastructure, cybersecurity, consumer awareness and merchant education.

Fees will also have a role to play in adoption. The structure needs to encourage merchants, particularly micro, small and medium-sized businesses, to embrace digital payments without compromising the sustainability of the ecosystem.

For a small merchant, even a relatively modest transaction fee can affect the decision to accept digital payments. Affordability is therefore important. At the same time, a secure payment system requires continuous investment in technology, infrastructure, cybersecurity, transaction processing and customer support. Those costs also need to be recognised when developing a sustainable model.

The important thing is to ensure that the cost of accepting Bangla QR does not become a barrier. As usage grows, higher transaction volumes can also create greater economies of scale.

There is another potential benefit that comes with greater digital adoption. Digital transactions can help financial institutions understand small businesses better, provided that data is used responsibly and in accordance with laws, regulations, privacy requirements and customer consent.

A merchant's transaction history can reveal patterns in sales, transaction volumes, seasonality and cash flow. This information could help banks develop financial products that are better suited to the needs of small businesses.

For instance, transaction behaviour could help in assessing working-capital requirements or allow a small business to develop a stronger formal financial profile. This matters because many small businesses have limited formal financial records. Responsible use of transaction data can help connect these businesses with formal financial services and support greater financial inclusion.

Can Bangla QR eventually help Bangladesh move towards a largely cashless retail economy? I believe it can become one of the important pillars of a significantly less-cash economy. But that transition will not happen overnight.

Technology is only one part of the equation. We also need widespread merchant acceptance, consumer confidence, reliable connectivity, financial literacy and strong consumer protection.

The opportunity is to make digital payments increasingly routine — not just at large businesses, but also at neighbourhood shops and small merchants. That is why Bank Asia sees its Bangla QR initiatives as a long-term effort rather than a one-off campaign.

If I had to identify the biggest opportunity for accelerating adoption today, I would point to awareness, merchant acceptance, and active usage. Bangladesh Bank has already established the framework and infrastructure. The next step is to make sure that merchants understand the system and consumers feel confident using it.

That requires coordinated efforts from banks, financial institutions, businesses, merchants, and other stakeholders, along with continued policy support from Bangladesh Bank.

Our campaigns in Gopalganj, Narsingdi and Bhola are part of that effort. Through rallies, seminars and awareness activities, we are trying to take the conversation directly to the people who will ultimately determine whether Bangla QR becomes part of everyday commerce.

The goal should be bigger than simply putting a QR code in front of a shop. The real goal is to make scanning and paying as natural as reaching for cash.

For Bangladesh, that shift will take time. But with the right awareness, merchant participation, and consumer confidence, Bangla QR can become a familiar part of how people pay every day.

Sohail R K Hussain is the Managing Director of Bank Asia PLC.

Sohail R K Hussain, Managing Director of Bank Asia PLC. Illustration: TBS