Various card and transaction services of around 30 banks in Bangladesh have been temporarily suspended due to a system migration of the Q-Cash network.The affected services include ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) transactions, card transactions and some interbank transaction facilities.
However, not all banking services have been suspended. The specific services affected vary from bank to bank, depending on their respective technological systems. According to notices issued by the banks, the extent of service restrictions differs.
Recently, around 30 banks, including Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Trust Bank, Bank Asia and National Bank, issued notices informing customers about the temporary suspension of various services.
The banks said the measures were part of system upgrades and maintenance aimed at enhancing technological capabilities and security.
The issue, however, has sparked controversy. Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and Spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said the banks concerned had not informed Bangladesh Bank in advance about the service suspensions.
He said the Q-Cash network was undergoing system migration to ensure safer and more modern banking services.
As a result, the decision to temporarily suspend certain services of 30 banks listed with ITC was taken by the banks on their own initiative, without prior notification to Bangladesh Bank, he said.
According to a notice sent to Bank Asia customers, some of the bank's services will remain suspended from 9pm on October 4 until noon on October 10 due to the Q-Cash network's system migration.
During this period, transactions through the bank's credit and prepaid cards will not be available. Transactions through ATMs, cash recycling machines (CRMs) and POS terminals under the Q-Cash network will also remain unavailable.
However, Bank Asia's debit card transactions will continue as normal. Transactions through other banks' ATMs and POS terminals, Bangla QR, and fund transfers to Tap, bKash, Nagad and Upay through the bank's Money App will also remain available. Fund transfers to other banks outside the Q-Cash network will also continue as usual, the bank said.
Some interbank transaction services of banks connected to the system have also been temporarily restricted. As a result, customers may face difficulties when using cards issued by one bank at another bank's ATMs or through certain transaction channels.
Arif Hossain Khan said the banks concerned had also not issued any prior notice or announcement regarding the suspension of customer services. The sudden suspension of some services has therefore caused dissatisfaction among customers.
He said the issue had not been viewed favourably by the Bangladesh Bank governor either. The governor considers it unacceptable for banks to take such important decisions unilaterally, he said, adding that the governor was angered by the incident.
The banks said regular system upgrades and maintenance were necessary to make their technological infrastructure more modern and secure. The Q-Cash network's system migration is part of this process.
Digital transactions are growing rapidly in the banking sector. As a result, the technological infrastructure supporting ATMs, cards, POS, QR and interbank transactions is being regularly upgraded. Depending on the nature of the work, some services may need to be suspended for several hours or even several days.
The banks said that the affected services would return to normal once the system migration is completed within the scheduled timeframe. Customers have been advised to use alternative services for urgent transactions during the period.
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