BB stops direct public services

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has discontinued several public services offered directly over the counter at all its offices.

The services discontinued at Bangladesh Bank offices include the sale of savings certificates and prize bonds, the exchange of torn or mutilated notes, and all related e-Challan services. 

This cessation of customer-facing services applies to all Bangladesh Bank offices, specifically naming locations such as Motijheel, Chattogram, Khulna, Bogura, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Sadarghat, Barishal, and Rangpur, a BB circular said on Thursday. 

The primary reasons cited for halting these services centre on institutional security and alignment with international central banking practices.

The decision to stop these customer-related services was made considering security issues, as the Bangladesh Bank is designated as a Key Point Installation (KPI).

Additionally, the central bank noted that central banks in other countries around the world do not provide these types of services directly to the public over the counter.

The general public is formally requested to obtain the mentioned services through scheduled commercial banks moving forward.

To ensure a smooth transition and continued access for the populace, Bangladesh Bank stated that it will increase supervision to ensure that commercial banks provide these services to the public without interruption.