The sudden failure of Bangladesh Bank's server on Thursday caused widespread disruption in the country's internet banking and digital banking services.
The main server of the central bank went down due to power outage and voltage fluctuations at around 4:30 pm on December 4, sources said.
Customers using internet banking have been the most affected by the server down. All types of services - logging in to mobile apps or web platforms, transferring money, online payments, credit and debit card transactions - have been disrupted.
Check clearing and local and international payment settlement have also been affected. Bank-to-bank transactions have virtually come to a standstill as the National Payment Switch Bangladesh (NPSB), used to handle interbank card-based transactions, has been temporarily shut down.
Several banks have notified their customers, saying: “NPSB services are down due to technical issues on the Bangladesh Bank side. Work is underway to resolve the issue. Sorry for the temporary inconvenience.”
Bangladesh Bank executive director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said that the entire system has been down due to power outages and voltage issues. The server went down after 4:00pm.
He said: “All types of inter-bank transactions are currently closed. The entire Bangladesh Bank team is working to resolve the issue.”
Although the spokesperson did not confirm how long it will take for the server to fully return to normal, efforts are being made to bring the services back online as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, customers of various banks have complained on social media till night—money cannot be sent, card payments are being canceled, apps are not opening—as a result, transactions ranging from daily purchases to urgent work are being stopped, causing major problems.