Use of credit cards on the rise

Author Topic: Use of credit cards on the rise  (Read 2445 times)

Offline Rozina Akter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 887
  • Test
    • View Profile
Use of credit cards on the rise
« on: September 09, 2013, 02:02:13 PM »
Use of credit, debit or ATM cards is gradually becoming essential for the people of Dhaka and other major cities in the country due to its multiple facilities.

Risks in carrying cash, easy withdrawal/disposal, availability of ATM booths in all neighbourhoods and the acceptance of VISA/Mastercard in large number of shops attract an increasing number of urban people to opt for the 'plastic money'.

At present, around 29 banks are doing card businesses in Bangladesh. The number of debit cards is approximately 4 million with 1 million credit cards. There are around 4 million ATM cards currently in use in the country.

Banks are in race to enhance client base to cope with the increasing demands. The annual growth rate of card selling is approximately 40 per cent.

"Once upon a time Credit/Debit cards were status symbol, which has now become absolute necessity to the city dwellers," managing director and chief executive officer of Eastern Bank Limited, Ali Reza Iftekhar told the FE Sunday.

"Cards have become immensely popular for account holders ranging from university students to CEOs of corporate firms for their daily expenditiure," he added.

According to Mr Iftekhar, EBL has now become the second highest card issuing bank in Bangladesh after its five years of journey in card business.

The top EBL official also opined that the rate of use of plastic money in Bangladesh is not satisfactory enough due to different bureaucratic and policy bottlenecks of the central bank.

"We have urged the central bank authority several times to increase both currency limit against credit cards but they are yet to respond. Enhancement of foreign currency limit would lessen activity of kerb market and increase inbound flow of remittance," he added.

"We cannot even increase limit to our trusted card holders due to this constraint," Iftekhar said.

According to him, 10 million people are prospective clients of credit cards in Bangladesh, but less than 5 per cent of them use the cards. "There is a huge vacuum in the market."

According to a Bangladesh Bank (BB) circular, banks can allow credit up to BDT 5,00,000 and US$ 5,000 for an individual per annum.

The BB circular also made a tax identification number (TIN) mandatory for credit card users.

Taufiq Hassan, head of cards and alternative channel of BRAC Bank Ltd, said making a tax identification number (TIN) mandatory for credit card users is seriously hampering its growth in the country.

"Bankers have no bindings of checking TIN numbers before issuing any amount of loan to parties but it is mandatory before issuing only credit card worth only Tk 5,00,000. Is it not self contradictory?" he questioned.

He said the use of cards would increase significantly within a couple of years provided the rules are simplified.

Md Amir Hossain Majumder, senior vice president and head of card division of Prime Bank Ltd said expansion in card use might become a good source of revenue income for the government as the authority can check the expenditure of any one through card number.

He said the government can make national ID card number mandatory before issuing credit card, not TIN.

"For example, if a person earns Tk 10,000 per month he/she is eligible for use a credit card but the law of the land does not compel him to pay income tax. In such case how can we issue him a card," he added.

"All 29 banks are knocking the small segment of people who have TIN numbers which enable a person to obtain more than one credit card from banks and thus risks of default in repayment is becoming high," Majumder added.

"People are eager to have a card but we cannot serve them. Increased use of cards helps a country boost revenue earnings," he said

"Transaction by card is an accounting trade. Nobody can show anything less than their actual consumption," he said.


Source: The Financial Express
Rozina Akter
Assistant Professor
Department Of Business Administration

Offline Reza S. H.

  • Faculty
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2013, 04:29:23 PM »
Rozina Mam,

The use of credit card is really on the rise. but i think many people collect it, use it for sometime, and then throw it aside. did ur post consider this issue?

Reza

Offline Rozina Akter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 887
  • Test
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2013, 12:01:52 PM »
Reza sir,

Thanks for your comment. Because of raising awareness of banking activity, use of credit card is also increasing, but for the cost factor, people don't use it longer...



Rozina
Rozina Akter
Assistant Professor
Department Of Business Administration

Offline Reza S. H.

  • Faculty
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2013, 02:35:31 PM »
yes mam, i admit ur opinion. but still banks consider those unused credit cards as their sold product not crunch one

Offline Rozina Akter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 887
  • Test
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2013, 05:35:55 PM »
That's true :P
Rozina Akter
Assistant Professor
Department Of Business Administration

Offline Reza S. H.

  • Faculty
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2013, 10:18:32 AM »
so can you come out with a solution how can they group the products?

Offline Rozina Akter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 887
  • Test
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2013, 03:59:26 PM »
I don't feel that there is any strong marketing strategy to group these products like credit card
Rozina Akter
Assistant Professor
Department Of Business Administration

Offline Reza S. H.

  • Faculty
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 118
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2013, 01:21:00 PM »
 :)

Offline munna99185

  • Faculty
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 573
  • Test
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2013, 02:56:47 PM »
Be careful in using credit card.
It may increase future pain.

Sayed Farrukh Ahmed
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Business & Economics
Daffodil International University

Offline rahim2008

  • Faculty
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 302
    • View Profile
Re: Use of credit cards on the rise
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2013, 06:05:30 PM »
Excellent Post.


Sheikh Abdur Rahim
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Business and Economics
Daffodil International University