Bangladesh Bank imposes 4-day restrictions on internet, mobile banking ahead of polls

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has imposed a four-day restriction on internet banking and mobile financial services (MFS) ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

During this period, person-to-person (P2P) transactions on all MFS platforms, including bKash, Nagad, and Rocket, will be limited.

The central bank issued the directive on Sunday (February 8) through its Payments Systems Department. The restrictions will be in effect from 12:00am on Monday (February 9) to 11:59pm on February 12, covering a total of 96 hours. Internet and mobile banking transfers between individuals will be completely suspended during this period.

Under the new limits, a maximum of BDT 1,000 can be sent per P2P transaction, with a daily cap of 10 transactions and a total limit of BDT 10,000. Merchant payments and utility bill settlements will continue as usual, while other MFS transactions will be temporarily halted.

Bangladesh Bank has instructed all MFS providers to set up special ‘Quick Response Cells’ to handle complaints and take immediate action. Continuous monitoring of all transactions will be conducted, and any suspicious activity must be reported to local law enforcement. Banking transactions through IBFT will also be fully suspended during this period.

The central bank said MFS providers and banks will extend full cooperation to the Election Commission and law enforcement agencies. Normal banking operations will resume after the specified period.