The government has taken an initiative to make the use of "Bangla QR" mandatory for obtaining and renewing business establishment licences.
In this regard, the Local Government Division issued an order on Thursday (October 8).
Prior to this, on October 1, the Payment Systems Department of Bangladesh Bank sent a letter to the Local Government Division regarding the matter.
The letter, signed by ANM Moinul Kabir, Director (PSD-1) of Bangladesh Bank, stated that 3,261,000 merchants across the country have been brought under the Bangla QR system.
Bangladesh Bank believes that integrating the Bangla QR service with trade licences will make it easier to incorporate small and marginalized businesses into the formal economy.
Additionally, this will help increase financial inclusion and play a positive role in raising the country's tax-to-GDP ratio.
The letter requested the Local Government Division to arrange for the integration of the Bangla QR service while issuing trade licences even at the Union Parishad level.
Previously, on August 14, 2025, instructions were issued to integrate the Bangla QR service with trade licences at the City Corporation and Municipality levels.
This time, an initiative has been taken to expand these activities down to the Union Parishad level.
The relevant authorities hope that once this initiative is implemented, business establishments in remote and marginalized regions outside cities will also be brought under digital transactions.
As a result, reliance on cash in business transactions will decrease while the use of digital transactions will increase.
