Dhaka, Sept. 29 -- Bangladesh Bank (BB) has issued its first comprehensive operational guidelines for Islamic credit cards, prohibiting commercial banks from generating extra revenue from growing customer debts or delayed bill payments.

According to the directive issued by the central bank on Tuesday, any scheduled bank currently offering Islamic banking services is eligible to issue Taka-denominated cards. However, banks must hold Authorised Dealer (AD) licences to issue foreign currency or dual-currency cards.

Under the new policy, all credit purchases, cash advances, and delayed payment periods will be treated strictly as "Qard Hasan" (an interest-free loan).

Banks are prohibited from charging any profit or interest on these loan am...