Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Bank has found irregularities amounting to Tk 2,300 crore in operations of the mobile financial service (MFS) provider Nagad,
Governor Ahsan H Mansur said on Sunday.
The amount includes the unauthorised creation of Tk 600 crore in e-money, said the governor while addressing a seminar in Dhaka.
The seminar titled “Digital Financial Ecosystem: Bridging the Gaps” was jointly organized by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and the Policy Research Institute (PRI) at the MCCI Gulshan Office.
“An investigation is ongoing to identify further irregularities in Nagad’s management. We aim to establish good governance here before inviting new investments.
We aim to position Nagad as a leading player in the market,” said the governor, who was the chief guest at the event.
Regarding the taxation of the telecom sector, Governor Mansur expressed concerns about the current tax rates, which he described as the highest in the world.
He cautioned that further tax increases could deter foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector and potentially lead to a decline in service quality.
At the event, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka recommended integrating MFS with the NPSB system to further strengthen and enhance the sector’s growth.
In a presentation at this seminar, MCCI Senior Vice President Habibullah N Karim said, “Direct integration is needed to streamline transactions between banks and Mobile Financial Services (MFS). This will enable faster payments, lower transfer costs, and improved interoperability.”
The other recommendations of MCCI’s including facilitating the launching of digital banks in Bangladesh, enhancing internet speed outside major cities to improve access, establishing independent credit-scoring agencies and facilitating the escrow systems.
