Bangladesh Bank orders mobile financial service providers to curb online gambling transactions

Bangladesh Bank has directed all mobile financial services (MFS) providers to immediately halt transactions linked to online gambling, in a move to tighten control over illicit financial flows in the digital payment ecosystem.

The central bank has issued letters to 13 MFS operators, following instructions from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division, ordering them to take strict measures to block gambling-related payments and report suspicious activities.

Under the order, MFS providers have been told to prepare a list of accounts suspected of involvement in gambling transactions and form dedicated task forces to monitor and prevent such activities. The operators must also deploy artificial intelligence–based systems to detect and flag illegal transactions in real time, and establish public reporting mechanisms, including a portal and helpline, for citizens to file gambling-related complaints.

Bangladesh Bank has scheduled a review meeting with seven MFS providers on November 6 to evaluate the effectiveness of existing monitoring and control systems. The session will also assess the operators’ capacity to adopt new preventive tools and identify what regulatory support may be needed to strengthen enforcement.

The directive marks the latest in a series of steps by the central bank to combat the growing use of digital financial platforms for illegal online gambling and other unauthorized transactions.