Bangladesh Bank (BB) on Sunday instructed mobile financial services (MFS) providers, e-wallets and relevant service providers to abstain from objectionable commercial advertisements, especially those ridiculing their market competitors.
In a notice issued by the central bank's payment systems department, it said that the use of sarcastic and offensive commercials had come to their attention, which should never have been broadcasted.
Reminding the operators of complying with the National Broadcast Policy-2014, commercials, publicities and advertisements will have to be devoid of such attacking behaviour, it said.
The issue arose after certain vernacular used in an advertisement of Nagad started making rounds; as well as videos involving bKash’s chief executive officer; posters against Nagad; and Nagad’s filing of cases against 10,000 unidentified people.
The two MFS providers are spreading propaganda against each other by violating the publicity policy of the information ministry, said a top official of the central bank seeking anonymity.
“The central bank will take a step against such activities of Nagad and bKash in the light of the government’s publicity policy,” said Md Serajul Islam, spokesperson of the BB.
The BB will make a guideline for MFS providers’ publicity and advertisement material, he added.
