Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) to introduce advanced digital toll collection solutions across RHD-operated toll bridges.
M Khorshed Anowar, deputy managing director and head of retail and SME banking of Eastern Bank, and Syed Moinul Hasan, chief engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, signed the MoU at the RHD Headquarters in Dhaka, recently.
Under the arrangement, EBL has deployed Merchant POS terminals at 14 RHD-operated toll bridges, enabling commuters to pay tolls conveniently using debit and credit cards.
The partnership also introduces RFID-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) through the EBL Skybanking App, allowing customers to make seamless, contactless toll payments.
Customers paying through ETC lanes using cards or the EBL Skybanking App will enjoy a 10% toll discount offered by RHD.
The initiative is expected to significantly reduce transaction time at toll plazas, ease traffic congestion, and eliminate the challenges associated with cash handling and change management.
In addition, the partnership will facilitate the introduction of Bangla QR payment acceptance at RHD-operated toll plazas, further supporting the government's vision of building a secure, efficient, and digitally enabled payment ecosystem in Bangladesh.
Present at the signing ceremony were Ahsan Ullah Chowdhury, head of digital financial services, and Faisal M Fathe-Ul-Islam, head of digital payments from Eastern Bank; Md Moniruzzaman, additional chief engineer, and Md Ahsan Habib, senior system analyst from RHD, were present among others on the occasion.