What the reported pilot would do
Bangladesh Bank sources said the central bank was likely to introduce an e-Payment Credit facility allowing eligible customers to borrow between Tk 50 and Tk 10,000 for approved essential payments. The credit would move directly to designated billers through authorised digital channels. [1] [2]
The facility was reported as a pilot expected to run for at least six months through participating banks, mobile financial-service providers, payment-service providers and fintech companies. An official circular was not available during the source window, so the framework should not yet be described as a completed national launch. [1] [2]
Closed-loop use is the defining control
The reported design would prevent borrowers from withdrawing the credit as cash, transferring it to a bank account or loading it into a mobile wallet. That restriction seeks to connect small-ticket liquidity to a known payment purpose rather than unrestricted spending. [1] [2]
Repayment periods were reported at seven, 15 or 30 days, with prescribed service fees rather than interest. The fee description matters: calling the product simply interest-free would omit the customer’s reported cost. [1] [2]
What participating firms would still need to prove
Digital onboarding, approval, payment and repayment were expected to use OTP, two-factor or multi-factor authentication while preserving credit classification, risk management, customer protection, anti-money-laundering and data-security obligations. [1]
The next evidence should be the final circular, named pilot participants, fee tables, eligibility rules, complaint handling and outcome data. Until then, the product is best understood as a reported regulatory pilot design, not an invitation or recommendation to borrow. [1] [2]