Popular ecommerce sites among Maldivians to charge a fee of 30%

The Bank of Maldives (BML) has decided to take a fee of 30% on popular ecommerce websites among Maldivians in a decision taken today. These charges will start to take effect from 1st July. 

According to the bank, some people are paying for the import of goods from a few sites through the internet. The sites that will be charged include Temu, Shein, Alibaba, Ali Express, Lazada and eBay. 

However, the bank noted that there will be no fees for tickets, hotel bookings and subscriptions. Debit cards and credit cards issued for dollar accounts will also not be charged.

The bank has also decided to limit the amount of withdrawals from foreign ATMs to $125 per month and charge a $10 fee from tomorrow. The decision was taken following an increase in withdrawals from foreign ATMs using cards of people who do not travel abroad.

The bank said its priority is to provide a better solution to the essential needs of the general public in debit card transactions abroad. The monthly limit of the cards will be checked from the first day of the month to the last day of the month.