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Bangladesh Bank is preparing to discontinue five customer-facing services—including the sale of Savings Certificates and Prize Bonds—as part of a broader move to modernise operations and tighten security at its key offices.

The central bank’s Motijheel office will stop these services from 30 November, with divisional offices outside Dhaka to follow in phases.

What’s Ending

Five services will be withdrawn from Bangladesh Bank counters:

• Sale of Savings Certificates and Prize Bonds
• Replacement of torn or damaged banknotes
• Government treasury challan deposits
• Issuing change for challan-related transactions

Bangladesh Bank said all these services will remain available at commercial bank branches and that monitoring will be strengthened to ensure smooth service. An awareness campaign is being prepared to inform the public.

Why the Change

The move follows recommendations from a committee formed after the governor inspected the Motijheel Cash Department in June and ordered upgrades. Officials say the decision aligns with Key Point Installation (KPI) security guidelines, which classify the central bank as a high-risk zone requiring tighter control of public access.

They clarified that the move is part of broader security reforms, not directly linked to the recent server fraud.

What Happens After 30 November

The Motijheel office currently operates 28 service counters. After the cutoff date:

• 12 counters handling the discontinued services will close
• No cash deposits for Savings Certificates, Prize Bonds, or treasury challans will be accepted
• 16 counters will continue offering services such as coin exchange, commemorative coin sales, dispute settlement over non-standard notes, and bank-to-bank transactions

Officials also indicated that even these remaining services will be reduced gradually.

Recent Fraud Incident

The decision comes weeks after a server fraud involving Tk 25 lakh in Savings Certificates was uncovered at the Motijheel office. Another attempted misappropriation of Tk 50 lakh was stopped. A case is now underway, with several investigations in progress. Sales of Savings Certificates at Motijheel had already been suspended since the incident.

Bigger Picture

As of September, customers held Tk 3,40,044.5 crore in Savings Certificates, with more than 30% handled through the central bank’s Motijheel office—an indication of strong public dependence on the service.

Customers will now be redirected to commercial banks, the Department of National Savings, and post offices for related services.