Guidelines on Credit Card Operations of Banks

Bangladesh Bank
Head Office
Motijheel, Dhaka-1000
Bangladesh website: www.bb.org.bd Banking Regulation & Policy Department-1 15 March 2026 BRPD-1 Circular No. 09 Date: ------------------------- 01 Choitro 1432 Managing Director/Chief Executives All Scheduled Banks in Bangladesh Dear Sir, Guidelines on Credit Card Operations of Banks The use of credit cards as a payment instrument has grown rapidly in Bangladesh, driven by technological advancement, consumer demand for convenience, and the expansion of electronic payment infrastructure. To ensure that this growth contributes positively to financial stability and consumer confidence, it is imperative to establish a comprehensive and updated regulatory framework for credit card operations.
2. In recognition of the necessity to strengthen risk management practices, encourage
responsible lending, and enhance financial discipline, the Guidelines on Credit Card Operations are hereby updated and issued. All banks and authorized credit card issuers are hereby instructed to comply with the aforesaid guidelines to facilitate a safer and more efficient digital payment environment.
3. This directive is issued by Bangladesh Bank in exercise of the powers conferred upon it
under Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991 (as amended) and shall come into force immediately. Yours faithfully, (Gazi Md. Mahfuzul Islam) Director (BRPD-1) Phone: 9530252

Guidelines on Credit Card Operations of Banks
15 March 2026
Banking Regulation & Policy Department-1
Bangladesh Bank

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Preamble
The increasing adoption of credit cards as a primary instrument for digital payment highlights their pivotal significance in the evolving financial landscape of Bangladesh. This sustained growth, driven by consumer convenience, enhanced security features, the rapid expansion of electronic Point of Sale (POS) infrastructure, and various incentive programs, necessitates a sound and robust regulatory mechanism. To ensure financial stability, protect consumers' rights, promote sound risk management practices, encourage responsible lending, and foster a transparent cashless payment ecosystem, Bangladesh Bank has formulated these comprehensive Guidelines on Credit Card Operations. The Guidelines are intended to provide a cohesive and updated framework for all scheduled banks engaged in the issuance and acquisition of credit cards in Bangladesh. By adhering to these measures, the sector shall strengthen its operational integrity, enforce greater financial discipline, and ensure that credit card services are delivered in a fair, compliant, and customer-centric manner, thereby contributing to the overall stability and growth of the national payment system.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction............................................................................................................... 1

2. Issuing Authority...................................................................................................... 1

3. Definitions................................................................................................................ 1

4. Types of Credit Cards............................................................................................... 2

5. Customer Eligibility Criteria.................................................................................... 3

6. Credit Limit and Settlement...................................................................................... 4

7. Terms of Contract, Interest Rates and Other Charges.............................................. 5

8. Marketing of Credit Cards........................................................................................ 6

9. Issuing Credit Cards................................................................................................. 7

10. Billing Process.......................................................................................................... 8

11. Collection/Recovery Mechanism.............................................................................. 9

12. Confidentiality and Protection of Customer Rights.................................................. 10

13. Dispute Resolution.................................................................................................... 11

14. Internal Control, Monitoring and Compliance......................................................... 11

15. Fraud Prevention and Security Measures................................................................. 12

16. Voluntary Closure and Dormant Credit Cards......................................................... 13

17. Usage of Credit Card for Unlawful Activities.......................................................... 13

18. Other Legal & Regulatory Issues............................................................................. 13

19. Policy document superseded..................................................................................... 14

20. Policy documents repealed....................................................................................... 14

21. Introduction
    The use of credit cards as a payment instrument for purchasing goods and services has been steadily increasing in Bangladesh. Factors such as convenience, enhanced security, the growing number of electronic Point of Sales (POS) terminals, and various incentives offered by credit card issuers have contributed to this growth. Recognizing the significance of credit cards in facilitating digital transactions, it is essential to establish a comprehensive framework to ensure safe, secure and efficient credit card operations. To ensure financial stability, protect consumers’ right, and promote cashless payment, Bangladesh Bank is issuing these updated Guidelines on Credit Card Operations. These guidelines set forth regulatory measures to strengthen risk management practices, encourage responsible lending, and enhance financial discipline among credit card users.

22. Issuing Authority
    Credit card in Bangladeshi Taka can be issued by any scheduled commercial bank in Bangladesh. But credit card in foreign currency is to be issued by Authorized Dealer (AD) banks only. Banks can issue credit cards with approval from its Board of Directors (local highest authority in case of Foreign Commercial Banks); prior approval from BB is not necessary.

23. Definitions
    For the purpose of this guideline￾a) Cardholder is a person who is authorized to use an issued credit card. b) Card Issuers are banks that issue credit cards and thereby enter into a contractual relationship with the cardholder. c) Credit Card is a physical or virtual payment instrument containing a means of identification, issued with a pre-approved revolving credit limit, which can be used to purchase goods and services or draw cash advances, subject to prescribed terms and conditions. d) Credit Card Associations are organizations which issue license to the card issuers under their trademark, e.g. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX and provide settlement services for its members (i.e. Card Issuers and Merchant Acquirers). e) Credit Limit is the maximum amount of revolving credit facility determined and notified to the cardholder to transact in the credit card account. f) Effective Interest Rate is the interest rate that is adjusted for compounding over a given period. g) Flat Interest Rate is the interest rate that is calculated on the original/initial principal amount for the entire loan tenure, regardless of repayments.

h) Interest-Free Credit Period is the time period from the date of transaction to the due date of payment, wherein interest free payment can be made, subject to the payment of entire outstanding on or before the payment due date by the cardholder. i) Merchants are entities which agree to accept credit cards for payment of goods and services. j) Merchant Acquirers are banks that enter into agreements with merchants to process their credit card transactions. k) Minimum Amount Due is the minimum amount of money, as a part of the total bill amount, that a cardholder has to pay to not be treated as an overdue bill. l) Non-transactional fee/charges refer to fees imposed by the card issuer that is not directly related to purchases, cash withdrawals, or any other spending activity, but rather to the ownership, maintenance, or administrative use of the credit card account. These fees include annual fee, CIB fee, SMS fee among others. m) Unsolicited Credit Card is a credit card issued without a specific written/digital request or an application there for. n) Upgradation of Credit Card means enhancement in the benefits and features of credit cards issued, for example, an increase in the credit or cash limit of the card.
4. Types of Credit Cards
For the purpose of this guideline, credit cards can be broadly categorized into the following three types:
4.1 Personal Credit Cards
a) Standard credit cards issued to individuals for personal use such as making payment for purchasing any goods and services. b) These cards are normally categorized by the issuer as platinum, gold, classic etc. to differentiate the services offered on each card based on the income/repayment eligibility criteria. c) Credit Limit is based on the person’s income, credit score, and financial history.
4.2 Corporate Credit Cards
a) A corporate or business credit card is a type of credit card issued to a company or organization, rather than to an individual. These cards are used by employees to pay for business-related expenses, such as travel, office supplies, client entertainment, online subscriptions etc.

b) The account is in the name of the company, not the individual user; although the employee's name may appear on the card. c) These credit cards may also be issued by linking a credit facility such as overdraft/cash credit provided for business purpose as per the terms and conditions stipulated for the facility concerned. d) Employers can set limits on employee cards, monitor spending, and receive detailed reports for accounting and tax purposes.
4.3 Co-Branded Credit Cards
a) Co-branded credit cards are a collaborative product offered by card issuers in partnership with merchants, retailers, airlines, e-commerce platforms, service providers etc. b) These cards offer additional benefits, such as reward programs and discounts, while maintaining regulatory compliance. c) Even though it's linked to a specific brand, it works like a regular credit card and can be used anywhere the card network (Visa, Mastercard etc.) is accepted. Card issuers may also issue Supplementary Credit Card, a secondary card issued under a primary credit card account, usually issued to family member or dependents of the main cardholder. It shares the same credit limit as the primary card and is billed to the main account holder. The primary cardholder can set individual spending limits on supplementary cards. Credit cards can be issued in local currency, foreign currency and dual currency. A local currency card operates in the country's domestic currency, while a foreign currency card is designed for use in a different currency. Dual currency cards allow for transactions in both local and foreign currencies. The foreign currency and dual currency credit cards are designed to facilitate international transactions.
5. Customer Eligibility Criteria
Banks shall establish creditworthiness assessment criteria, which shall include:
a) Citizenship or residency of Bangladesh. b) Minimum age requirement of 18 years (on the date of the application) for both Primary and Supplementary cardholders. However, the minimum age requirement for Supplementary cardholders may be relaxed to 16 years for students who are directly dependent on the Principal Cardholders. c) A valid e-TIN certificate and clean CIB report.

d) Fulfillment of all “Know Your Customer (KYC)” requirements and safe custodial of such documents. e) Issuance of credit card to non-resident/foreign nationals shall be subject to the provisions of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947, Guidelines for Foreign Exchange Transactions (GFET), 2018 and subsequent related directives issued by Foreign Exchange Policy Departments from time to time.
6. Credit Limit and Settlement
a) Maximum unsecured limit under credit card, other than corporate credit card, to a borrower (supplementary cards shall be considered part of the principal borrower) shall not exceed Tk. 20 (Twenty) lac. The banks may allow financing under the credit card scheme in excess of the limit of Tk. 20 (Twenty) lac provided the excess amount is secured against liquid securities. However, in no case the limit shall be allowed to exceed Tk. 40 (Forty) lac. b) Banks shall assess the borrower’s repayment capacity, i.e. Gross monthly income, Debt burden ratio etc. before assigning a credit limit to ensure responsible lending. c) In case of assigning credit limit to an existing cardholder of a different bank or multiple banks, an Undertaking shall be sought to declare all of their existing credit limits and it shall be taken into account as part of the risk assessment i.e. calculating Debt burden ratio and other related parameters. d) Periodic review of credit limits shall be conducted on repayment behavior and financial position. e) For low-income applicants, secured credit cards (against fixed deposits) may be issued. f) Retirees may qualify based on an assessment of pension and investment income. g) Cardholders shall be allowed cash withdrawal up to 50% of the card limit as cash advances. h) As a fraud minimization mechanism, maximum credit balance on cardholder’s credit card account shall not exceed 10% of sanctioned limit at any point of time. Card issuers can impose fee/charge for any excess credit balance by declaring it in their schedule of charges. i) In case of credit cards issued in foreign currency against balances held in various foreign currency deposit accounts (for example: Resident Foreign Currency Deposit Accounts, Exporters’ Retention Quota Account, Agent’s Retention Quota Account etc.), the limit shall be up-to the extent of balances held in respective accounts. In such cases, payment liability shall be settled in foreign currency using balances of the respective accounts only. j) In case of credit cards issued in foreign currency against various foreign currency entitlements (for example: Travel Quota, etc.) payment liability may be settled in Bangladeshi Taka. In such cases the limit may be up to the extent of respective indicative

limit (equivalent Bangladeshi Taka) allocated to Bangladeshi nationals prescribed in GFET, 2018 and subsequent related directives subject to compliance with the maximum limit specified in Paragraph 6(a). k) International credit card issued against balance held in Exporters’ Retention Quota Account and Agent’s Retention Quota Account shall ensure the use for bonafide business purpose as per GFET, 2018 and subsequent directives issued from time to time by Bangladesh Bank.
7. Terms of Contract, Interest Rates and Other Charges
a) Card issuers shall specify a period of validity for the card, not exceeding 5 years from the date of issuance/renewal, taking into consideration the usage purposes and repayment capability of the cardholder. b) Card issuers shall quote interest rate and service charges (if any) on an annual basis; separately for purchase of goods & services and cash advances, if different. c) The effective annual interest rate on the outstanding amount of Credit Card shall not exceed 25%. Interest shall be charged on the unpaid amount due for payment; not on the total amount due. d) The method of calculation of interest and other charges, number of days, minimum payment due, outstanding unpaid amount, etc. should be clearly explained and properly disclosed to the customers. e) In case the interest rate is quoted as flat rate, effective interest rate shall be disclosed in parallel for better understanding of the cardholders. f) The interest shall be charged from the immediate following day of payment due date. In no case the interest shall be charged from the date of transaction. However, there may not be any interest-free period for cash advances. g) Any revision in the schedule of interest rates, charges/fees, or terms and conditions and revision of any incentive shall be communicated to all cardholders in legible writing/electronic means at least 30 (thirty) days before the effective date of such revision. The changed portion shall be duly highlighted for better understanding. h) The convenience fee, if any charged on specific transactions, shall be indicated to the cardholder in a transparent manner, prior to the transaction. i) Card issuer shall inform cardholders through schedule of charges about the relevant charges for retail transactions made outside Bangladesh. j) Insurance option (Risk assurance/Credit Shield/Protection Plan/any other similar facility) shall not be activated without prior consent of the cardholder.

k) Non-transactional fee/charges:
i. No non-transactional fee shall be levied on the cardholder prior to activation of the
credit card;
ii. If there is no liability related to transaction (purchase, cash withdrawal or any other
type of merchant transaction) on the active credit card, no penalty in addition to non￾transactional fee may be imposed in case of non-repayment/late payment. However, regular interest can be levied on non-transactional fee;
iii. Cardholder shall not be classified adversely for non-repayment of non-transactional
fee;
iv. If the credit card bill is paid partially, the cardholder's transactional liability may be
adjusted after adjusting for any non-transactional fee. l) Late payment fee/charges
i. In case of late payment by the cardholder, the issuer may impose late payment
fee/charges only once if there is no new transactional liability.
ii. Charges for late payment shall not be added to the outstanding amount for computing
interest due. m) Cardholder who wishes to surrender a card due to any change in terms, rates or charges to his/her disadvantage shall be permitted to do so without being levied any extra charge for such closure. n) The terms shall clearly specify the time-period for reversal of unsuccessful/failed transactions and the compensation payable for failure to meet the specified timeline.
8. Marketing of Credit Cards
a) Credit card issuer shall develop comprehensive institutional policy on credit card operations and code of conduct duly approved by its Board of Directors (local highest authority in case of Foreign Commercial Banks) and shall publish those in their official website. Card issuer shall also disclose those to the customers throughout the marketing process. b) The terms and conditions relating to the credit card shall be simple, clear and understandable. Any stipulation, caveat, clause or provision which may cause an unreasonable curtailment of rights of the customers shall not be included in the terms and conditions. c) Applicable terms and conditions shall be clearly communicated and shall be provided in legible font size to the customer in the preferred language (Bangla and/or English) of the customer at the time of issuing a credit card. d) These conditions shall clearly highlight the cardholder's liabilities and obligations, eligibility conditions, interest rates, fees, service charges, other charges and its method of calculation, etc. The terms and conditions shall be displayed in the card issuer's official website.

e) Any advertisement/promotional campaigns that go against the prevailing laws shall not be published/carried out by card issuers.
9. Issuing Credit Cards
9.1 Personal Credit Cards
a) Credit card shall be issued by a card issuer on receipt of duly filled and signed application from a prospective customer, supported with necessary documents. b) Card issuer shall properly assess the credit risk before issuing credit card to any applicant and apply prudent risk management checks as they deem necessary. c) Card issuer shall allow a reasonable limit to a cardholder based on the credit worthiness after assessing his/her income statements. Card issuer shall also obtain information available at the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) while assessing the credit worthiness of the customer. d) Cardholder who is holding several credit cards, card issuer shall take a declaration on the cards the customer possesses and an undertaking about the surety of such declaration. e) Card issuer shall ensure appropriate collateralization of the amount in excess of the “Maximum Unsecured Limit” allowed under credit card to a cardholder as stipulated in Paragraph 6(a) of this guideline.
9.2 Corporate Credit Cards
a) Corporate credit cards can be issued to an employee or officer (being a manager, chief executive, secretary or other officers) of a body corporate. b) The responsibilities and liabilities of the corporate and its employees shall be clearly specified in the bank’s policy. The liability of the corporate/business entity shall form part of its assessed credits. c) Card issuers shall consider the financial status of the corporations that apply for corporate credit cards instead of financial ability of individual cardholders. d) The card issuers shall put in place effective mechanism to monitor end use of funds. e) Corporate credit cards shall not fall under the 'Consumer Financing' category and shall be regulated by existing guideline/regulations for lending to corporate clients.
9.3 Co-branded Credit Cards
a) The co-branded card shall explicitly indicate that the card has been issued under a co-branding arrangement. The co-branding partner shall not advertise the co-branded card as its own product. In all advertising material, the name of the card issuer shall be clearly shown.

b) The co-branding arrangement shall be as per the Board approved policy of the card issuer. The policy shall specifically address issues pertaining to various risks, including reputation risk associated with such an arrangement and put in place suitable risk mitigation measures. c) There shall be no partnership with unregulated financial entities, crypto exchanges, gambling platforms, or high-risk merchants. d) Card issuers shall ensure that in cases where the proposed co-branding partner is a financial entity, it has obtained necessary approvals from its regulator for entering into the co-branding arrangement. e) The role of the co-branding partner entity shall be limited to marketing/distribution of the cards and providing access to the cardholder for the goods/services that are offered. f) The co-branding partner shall not have access to information relating to transactions undertaken through the co-branded card. g) Card issuer shall retain full control over credit approval, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Post issuance of the card, the co-branding partner shall not be involved in any of the processes or the controls relating to the co-branded card except for being the initial point of contact in case of grievances. h) Foreign entities shall comply with local regulatory requirements before partnering with a Bangladeshi card issuer.
9.4 Supplementary Credit Cards
a) Card issuers shall be cautious and assess the credit risk while issuing supplementary cards to persons with no independent financial means. b) Card issuers shall make it clear to the principal cardholder that he/she is ultimately liable for all the liabilities incurred by the supplementary cardholders. c) Card issuers are allowed to issue local currency, foreign currency or dual currency Supplementary Credit Cards.
10. Billing Process
a) Card issuer shall provide the cardholders a statement of accounts in writing or in electronic means at the end of each month (billing period) fully disclosing the transaction details including total amount due, minimum amount due, interest rate, the calculation of interest & charges (if any), late payment charges (if any), due date, mode of payment etc. Card statements shall also include a warning message on the consequences of paying only the minimum amount.

b) The billing cycle shall be consistent and card issuer shall dispatch such billing statement to each active cardholder at the end of each billing period allowing at least fourteen (14) days before interest is charged. c) If a cardholder complains non-receipt of billing statement, a copy of it shall be dispatched to the cardholder free of charge within five (5) working days from the date of receipt of such complaint. d) In case of overdue liabilities on credit card, a consolidated billing statement for the full overdue period shall be provided to the cardholder on demand. e) Card issuer shall provide the list of payment modes authorized by them for making payment towards the credit card dues, in their websites and billing statements. f) If a due date falls on a Friday, Saturday or any other public/bank holidays published by the Government/Bangladesh Bank at the beginning of each year, the card issuer shall allow the grace period (holiday) as required for payment to be made on the next working day. g) Card issuer shall ensure that wrong bills are not made and issued to Cardholders. In case a cardholder objects any bill, the card issuer shall provide explanations and, if necessary, documentary evidences to the cardholder within a maximum period of 30 (thirty) calendar days with a spirit to amicably redress the grievances.
11. Collection/Recovery Mechanism
a) At the time of issuance, the card issuer shall properly communicate to the customer the procedure of recovery in case of default payments. b) Recovery letters shall be issued to the last known addresses of the cardholder which should bear the designation, contact number(s) and office address of the concerned officials. c) Any verbal or physical harassment or threats to the cardholders, their family members, references or friends shall not be resorted in the recovery process. Recovery/Collection officers also shall not intrude the privacy of the cardholder’s family members, referees and friends. d) Telephone calls and visits for recovery of unpaid dues shall be limited to office hour. e) A credit card account will be treated as overdue if the minimum amount due, as mentioned in the statement, is not paid fully within the due date. Banks shall report such overdue credit card accounts to Credit Information Bureau as stipulated in CIB Circular No. 02 dated 04 May 2011, and as amended from time to time.

12. Confidentiality and Protection of Customer Rights
    a) Banks shall conduct One-Time Password (OTP)-based consent verification before activating a new credit card. b) The card issuer shall not reveal any information relating to cardholders obtained at the time of opening the account or issuing the credit card to any other person or organization without obtaining specific consent of the cardholder. c) The disclosure to third party service providers/recovery agents (if any) shall be kept minimal but just enough to discharge their duties. Personal information that is not required for recovery purposes should not be released by the card issuer. Card issuer shall also ensure that the third party service providers/recovery agents do not disseminate or misuse any customer information. d) Credit card issuers shall not issue unsolicited credit cards or upgrade credit cards or enhance credit limits without getting explicit consent from the cardholder. In case of reduction in the credit limit, the card issuer shall inform the same to the cardholder. e) Card issuers shall provide to the cardholder the detailed procedure to report the loss, theft or unauthorized use of card or PIN. They shall provide multiple channels such as a dedicated helpline, dedicated number for SMS (with WhatsApp activated), dedicated e-mail-id, Interactive Voice Response, clearly visible link on the website, internet banking and mobile￾app or any other mode for reporting an unauthorized transaction on 24 x 7 basis and allow the customer to initiate the blocking of the card. f) For blocking of credit cards, either the principal cardholder or the actual cardholder can initiate the request. g) Card issuers shall block a lost card immediately on being informed by the cardholder and shall send a confirmation to the cardholder subsequent to the blocking of a card. Banks shall be liable for all transactions not authorized by the credit cardholders after bank have been served with a notice that the card has been lost/stolen. Such unauthorized transactions shall be reimbursed within 7 (seven) working days. h) In case of renewal of an existing card, the cardholder shall be provided an option to decline the same if he/she wants to do so before dispatching the renewed card. Further, in case a card is blocked at the request of the cardholder, replacement card in lieu of the blocked card shall be issued with the explicit consent of the cardholder. i) An issuer shall not hold a supplementary cardholder, jointly or severally liable for the debts of the principal cardholder or the other supplementary cardholders.

13. Dispute Resolution
    a) The Card issuer shall put in place an appropriate dispute resolution mechanism commensurate with the volume of complaints. The details of such mechanism should be put in public domain through official website. b) Contact particulars of card issuer including that of the dispute resolution officer of the card issuer shall be displayed on the website. c) There should be a system of acknowledging customer complaints for follow up, such as complaint/docket number, even if the complaints are received on phone. d) Card issuer shall clearly communicate to the cardholders, whether they would be allowed to use the credit card during the investigation period in the event of a dispute. e) Card issuer shall establish a mechanism to automatically escalate unresolved complaints from a call center to higher authorities. f) Card issuer shall resolve the disputed transaction of the cardholder promptly and as per the franchise rules of VISA, Mastercard, or any other international card company/association, taking into account the nature of the transaction, distances, time zone, etc. g) In the event of a dispute, the card issuer may impose interest or any other charges (as per the
    Schedule of Charges) on the disputed transaction amount during the investigation period.
    However, in case of a valid dispute claim, disputed transaction amount associated interest and any other charges shall be reimbursed to the cardholder by the immediate following billing cycle after dispute resolution. h) Compensation framework for unsuccessful/failed transactions, delay in redressal of grievance, delay in closing of account/blocking of lost or stolen cards, etc. shall be in place.

14. Internal Control, Monitoring and Compliance
    a) Card issuer shall have comprehensive, rigorous and well-documented operational and technical procedures to ensure reasonable operational reliability, integrity of network and timeliness of transactions. Card issuer shall have an adequate number of properly trained and competent personnel to operate the systems smoothly. b) To minimize the financial and any other associated risks, card issuer shall have prudent and sound management, administrative, accounting and control procedures. Card issuer shall review effectiveness of those arrangements and procedures periodically and should be updated accordingly. c) Card issuer shall also have an effective, well-documented and regularly tested business contingency plan to be used in the event of unforeseen interruption.

d) Card issuer shall conduct regular assessments, at least once a year, of the compliance with the Regulations, Guidelines and Code of Conduct. Internal auditors, internal compliance officer or appointed independent assessor may perform these functions. e) Card issuer shall maintain proper data base and data recovery system pertinent to credit card operations for overall management, monitoring and control purpose.
15. Fraud Prevention and Security Measures
a) Card issuer shall set up internal control systems to combat frauds and take proactive fraud control and enforcement measures. b) The banks should take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that cardholders have received the card, whether personally or by mail. The banks should advise cardholders of the need to take reasonable steps to keep the card safe and the PIN secret so that frauds are avoided. c) Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for all e-commerce and domestic non-NFC transactions, real-time transaction alerts via SMS and Email for all credit card transactions shall be ensured. d) The enlisting of merchants shall be done after proper due diligence and evaluation. Card issuer/acquirer shall educate the merchants about the use of POS machine, genuineness and security features of credit card, signature verification and their rights and responsibilities under the agreement. e) The risk management department shall comprise of employees specialized in fraud monitoring and investigation. f) Card issuer shall implement EMV chip technology that will help increase security, reduce fraud and enable the use of future value added applications. g) Card issuer shall ensure that all applications used for card banking solutions are Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS) compliant. They should ensure that all card related data processing, storage, transmission and operational activities are carried out in compliance with PCIDSS requirements. h) Card issuer shall have a central monitoring system that ensures 24 x 7 security. If any unusual activity happens in credit card related transaction system, the monitoring team will notify related stakeholders and take necessary measures. i) To control malicious and suspicious traffic, effective firewalls should be implemented in core and all perimeter zones. Updated anti-virus software solutions should be put in place for protecting worms, malware threats. j) All activities within the card life cycle process i.e. card production, PIN generation, card activation, card deactivation and customer communications should be handled properly and separately.

k) Security log, Exception log and Transaction log of cards shall be preserved properly for troubleshooting and security purposes and these should be reviewed periodically. l) The ICT policy of the card issuer shall be updated regularly keeping pace with trending technologies, new risk management tools and most recent Bangladesh Bank ICT Guidelines. The employees should be made aware of such ICT policy and trained on Security and Technology Operations.
16. Voluntary Closure and Dormant Credit Cards
a) Cardholders shall be provided option to submit request for closure of credit card account through multiple channels such as helpline, email, website, internet banking, mobile-app, branch visit etc. b) The closure request shall be sought from the principal cardholder or principal account holder (in case of corporate or business entity). c) Any request for closure of a credit card shall be processed within 7 (seven) working days by the credit card issuer if no outstanding balance exists. d) Subsequent to the closure of credit card, the cardholder shall be immediately notified about the closure through email, SMS etc. and any credit balance available in credit card accounts shall be transferred to the cardholder’s bank account. Card issuers shall obtain the details of the cardholder’s bank account, if the same is not available with them. e) Credit cards that are inactive (has not been used for any transactions or payments or cash withdrawal) for 12 (twelve) months shall be flagged as dormant. f) After 24 (twenty four) months of inactivity, the issuer shall notify the cardholder and deactivate the card unless the customer explicitly requests continuation.
17. Usage of Credit Card for Unlawful Activities
Credit card issuer shall include in the terms and conditions a clause specifying that the credit card is not to be used for any unlawful activities. If a cardholder is discovered to have used the credit card for an unlawful activity, the issuer shall immediately terminate the credit card facility and inform it in details to Bangladesh Bank at the earliest.
18. Other Legal & Regulatory Issues
a) Card issuer shall ensure that contractual relationships with all relevant parties (both domestic and cross-border) are valid and enforceable in lawful court.

b) Card issuer shall adhere to policies regarding classification and provisioning of credit card loans in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations issued by Banking Regulation and Policy Departments from time to time. c) The instructions given vide circular/circular letters on Loan Rescheduling and Exit Policy issued by Banking Regulation and Policy Departments from time to time shall be adhered to while providing rescheduling or exit facility against overdue credit card accounts. d) As a means of payment, credit card operations are also subject to relevant circular/guidelines issued by Payment Systems Departments from time to time. Card issuer shall ensure compliance with such instructions. e) Card issuer shall ensure that the instructions contained in BRPD Circular No. 02 dated 19 January 2015 are complied with when outsourcing any credit card activities permitted under that circular. f) The instructions/guidelines on KYC, Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Combating Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and any other relevant instructions issued by Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit from time to time shall be adhered to in respect of all parties and transactions related to credit card operations.
19. Policy document superseded
This policy document supersedes BRPD Circular No. 07 dated 03 November 2004.
20. Policy documents repealed
This policy document repeals - a) BRPD Circular No. 04 dated 03 April 2017, b) BRPD Circular No. 07 dated 11 May 2017, c) BRPD Circular No. 10 dated 03 August 2017, d) BRPD Circular No. 06 dated 20 June 2018, e) BRPD Circular Letter No. 47 dated 24 September 2020, f) BRPD Circular Letter No. 06 dated 15 February 2022 and g) BRPD Circular Letter No. 52 dated 01 December 2024.