Bangladesh Bank has directed all MFS (mobile financial service) providers to immediately stop processing transactions connected to online gambling. This move is part of a sweeping effort to tighten oversight of illicit financial flows within the country’s digital payment system. The ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Division instructed 13 MFS operators to follow the directive. It is part of the wider effort of the government to halt the use of mobile payment systems for illegal betting, as well as similar activities.
According to officials, the move follows growing concern about MFS agents and merchants. Some are funneling large sums to gambling sites through layered transfers. The central bank warned that gambling transactions are laundering money through MFS platforms abroad. It also directed operators to take urgent preventive measures.
The order states that all MFS providers must prepare lists of accounts suspected of engaging in gambling transactions. This includes major platforms like bKash, Nagad, and Rocket. They must then submit these lists to Bangladesh Bank. The central bank also requires them to set up special teams to monitor and stop such activities.
The central bank has mandated that operators use AI-based systems to detect and flag illegal transactions in real time. Providers should also make public reporting mechanisms including a complaint portal and helpline to let citizens to report suspicious gambling connected activity.
The figure could be around Tk5,000 crore, or about US$425 million. A Bangladesh Bank official said that no agency currently has a full estimate of the funds transferred abroad by online gambling. The official added that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has blocked known gambling websites. However, many users still access them via VPNs. This makes enforcement more difficult.
