No merchant fees for Bangla QR transactions: BB

Bangladesh Bank has set the interchange reimbursement fee (IRF) at zero for all transactions conducted through Bangla QR, meaning acquiring institutions will not be allowed to collect any fee or service charge from merchants for such transactions.

Earlier, banks and mobile financial service (MFS) providers charged an IRF of 0.35 percent to 0.70 percent on Bangla QR transactions.

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Through the latest circular, the central bank has also cancelled its July 1 decision to set the minimum merchant discount rate (MDR) at 1 percent.

This means the MDR is no longer fixed. Acquiring institutions may charge a fee or may choose not to, depending on the arrangement with merchants, according to the circular.

The central bank issued the circular for banks, MFS providers, payment service providers and payment system operators to follow.

The new instructions will come into effect on October 1, 2026.

The move is expected to reduce transaction-related costs and encourage wider use of Bangla QR for digital payments across the country.