Online banking for common clients

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Online banking has recently been getting attention. Almost all banks have introduced mid-to-wide range internet-based banking products and activities for their different kinds of clients. Bangladesh Bank has a donor-funded special programme to keep the financial institutions updated with the international trend. All these efforts deserve appreciation. We have to keep pace with the changes in the global financial system.
But not all the bank clients have access to the internet. The common account holders make up the wider clientele base. The number of corporate and business account holders is not as big. The common account holders belong to the low or middle income groups of people.
So, if the banks want to go totally into internet-based banking system, they must take into consideration the economic condition of the majority of the country's population. They should not opt for a system that might cause them financial losses or create complications for them. Many banks charge extra fees from the common account holders for using the internet service. For example, they have to pay the banks to see account balance, or transfer money from one branch to another. What is suitable for corporate clients or business groups cannot be suitable for the common clients. Many common clients would lose interest in saving if they, have to pay so many charges including VAT.

Ehsan Khan
Hatirphool
Dhaka