TV24 Desk: SSLCOMMERZ, the largest payment gateway of Bangladesh, has launched Bangla QR. Today, on Thursday (October 1, 2020), Bangla QR is officially launched at the Gulshan Branch of Shwapno & Banani Branch of Burger King in Dhaka.
Customers used the QR to pay digitally. At Shwapno, Mr. Shahzada Redwan, Director & CTO of SSLCOMMERZ, handed over the official QR to Mr. Abu Naser, Operations Director of Shwapno. At Burger King, Mr. Iftekhar Alam Ishaque, DGM of SSLCOMMERZ, handed over the QR to Mr. Tanvir Akhtar, Restaurant Operations of Burger King. Small, medium and large entrepreneurs, restaurants, grocery shops, and other retailers from different verticals and end-users of different socio-economic classes can benefit from this advanced contactless payment method. Customers will be able to scan Bangla QR and pay digitally using Visa cards of specific banks who have added Bangla QR in their mobile application.
Top officials of SSLCOMMERZ, Eastern Bank Limited, Visa, and Bangladesh Bank were present virtually in the inauguration program over an online meeting tool. Bangla QR is the national QR for digital payments authorized by Bangladesh Bank. Customers can pay digitally by scanning the Bangla QR using the mobile payment applications provided by banks. As there is no cash or card exchanged during the payment process, it is considered the most advanced contactless payment method, enabling customers to stay safe during the pandemic situation. Merchants can benefit from this payment method without installing any machine or equipment in the shops. The shop owner or cashier will get an SMS confirmation after accepting payment through Bangla QR. The shop owner can also monitor the daily transaction details using a merchant app. This app facilitates entrepreneurs, retailers, and merchants to enjoy several other benefits, including Digital Halkhata, selling of Digital Services, automation of Wholesaler, Distributor & Supplier payments, etc.
In the inauguration program, Mr. Sayeeful Islam, the Managing Director of SSLCOMMERZ, has said. “Today, we are opening a new chapter in the history of Bangladesh by launching Bangla QR in pursuit of Digital Bangladesh vision of our Government. I believe QR payments will transform the society into a cashless one where even bills at the roadside tea stall can be paid digitally using QR. We are delighted to collaborate with Eastern Bank and Visa in this revolutionary initiative. With the support and guidance of Bangladesh Bank, we will bring in such new payment technologies that can benefit millions in our SME and MSE sector.”
SSLCOMMERZ has been a pioneer in providing services in the online payment and e-commerce industry of Bangladesh for close to a decade and working with a good reputation in delivering singular online payment services to merchants. SSLCOMMERZ platform is PCI DSS certified and licensed as a Payment System Operator (PSO) from Bangladesh Bank. PCI DSS is a globally recognized compliance certification of data security for banks and financial institutions, enabling the service providers to strengthen online payment security while collecting, processing, and storing customers’ card information. In the inauguration program, Mr. Ahsan Ullah Chowdhury, Head of Cards & Digital Banking of Eastern Bank Limited, has said, “EBL is proud to be a part of the official journey of BanglaQR, complying with the guidelines of Bangladesh Bank. EBL customers can make payments using QR codes via the SKYBANKING app across multiple merchant points. I believe BanglaQR will be a very easy, secure, and modern payment process for all our customers and merchants. EBL will continue its journey to achieve greater heights in modern banking.” Also, Mr. Shailesh Paul, Head of Merchant Sales & Solutions, India, and South Asia, Visa, said, “Consumers increasingly prefer low touch payments for their safety. QR payments are an inherently low cost and an asset-light way for merchants to accept digital payments by simply displaying a QR code for shoppers to scan and pay. We are glad to power SSLCOMMERZ in offering Bangla QR so merchants can accept digital payments from Visa consumers across Bangladesh.”
Lastly, Mr. Mohammad Akhlasuddin, Joint Director, Payment Systems Department of Bangladesh Bank, has said, “I congratulate and convey my best wishes to SSLCOMMERZ, Visa and EBL for officially inaugurating Bangla QR. Bangladesh Bank is continuously working to achieve the goal of Digital Bangladesh. I believe Bangla QR will play a paramount role in digitalizing the economic sector, and this contactless form of payment will soon become very popular amongst the sellers and customers.”