FROM PAGE B1

new banknotes that have been redesigned, but due to supplies being limited, many customers were unable to obtain them.

“Many people come to collect the newly designed notes, but the supply is so limited that we are not able to provide them,” said a senior official at the corporate branch of Rupali Bank.

“People are preparing to go to their hometowns for Eid and to buy sacrificial animals, so they are withdrawing money and collecting new notes,” he said.

Bangladesh Bank released redesigned Tk 20, Tk 50, and Tk 1,000 notes into circulation from June 1.

As in previous years, the demand for fresh currency typically surges ahead of Eid, when people present crisp notes as gifts.

Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director and CEO of Mutual Trust Bank, said overall there was no shortage of liquidity or cash in the banking sector, although some banks are experiencing cash crises due to poor financial health and other factors.

On being contacted, Arief Hossain Khan, executive director and spokesperson of the central bank, said the regulator was promoting digital transactions and discouraging the use of cash in cattle markets.

Regarding the new notes, he said, “This time, only the Tk 20, Tk 50, and Tk 1,000 notes were introduced in the market before Eid.”

He added that printing of the redesigned Tk 5, Tk 10, Tk 100, Tk 200, and Tk 500 notes is expected to begin after Eid.