E-commerce customers and merchants waiting for their money stuck in the central bank's payment gateway can expect their amounts from next week, said the chief of the commerce ministry's Digital Commerce Cell yesterday.

The commerce ministry will send the letter to the Bangladesh Bank within the next two to three days asking to start the payment, said AHM Shafiquzzaman, the DCC chief and also the additional secretary to the commerce ministry.

The central bank has about Tk 512 crore stuck in its payment gateway.

Since the BB is all set to start refunding, it is expected that the disbursement will begin next week, he told The Daily Star.

Initially, the consumers and merchants who did not go to the court will get back their money.

Those who took the legal route will have to wait for the settlement of their cases, Shafiquzzaman said, adding that their number is very low.

So the majority of the affected consumers and merchants are expected to get back their money, he said, adding that there might be a 1-2 percent disbursement charge from each payment.

"We will start paying back the money as soon as we get instructions from the ministry as the money is already stuck up in the payment gateway," said a senior official of the BB asking not to be named as he is not authorised to speak to media on the matter.

He also said there would be a refund charge.