On 24 June 2026 Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury told Parliament that the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) had frozen or suspended about 55,000 mobile financial service (MFS) accounts that year over online gambling and digital hundi, The Business Standard reported. About 10,000 more accounts were frozen in July, and freezing of about 14,000 further accounts was under way in early August, according to Yogonet.
What it means for account holders
In August the authorities said they were taking steps to stop people whose accounts were frozen from opening new MFS accounts with the same national ID; we have not seen confirmation that this is in force. bKash, Bangladesh Bank and the CID have also run a joint awareness campaign, aimed at young people, on the risks of using MFS for betting (see the CID's 2026 arrest figures). See more enforcement news from Bangladesh.
Earlier directives
- Late 2025: Bangladesh Bank ordered all 13 MFS providers to set up task forces and AI-enhanced monitoring to stop gambling transactions (TBS, reported 4 November 2025).
- 28 May 2026: Bangladesh Bank told providers to report suspicious merchants and customers linked to gambling (TBS).
Under the Gambling Prevention Act 2026, laundering gambling money through MFS by organised groups carries up to 10 years in prison. Our news brief explains what changed on 1 July.
Written by
Fact-checking
The editorial team checks bonus, licence and payment claims against operators' own public pages and official sources, and records the date of each check.