Business Desk :
Bangladesh Bank has issued an urgent directive to all Mobile Financial Service (MFS) providers to immediately stop financial transactions linked to online gambling.
The central bank sent letters to 13 MFS operators following instructions from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division, instructing them to take strict measures against this illegal activity, UNB reports.
According to the directive, MFS operators are required to: prepare a list of suspicious accounts involved in gambling transactions, form a dedicated task force to monitor and prevent illicit financial flows, implement AI-based monitoring systems to detect and flag gambling-related transactions in real-time.
Establish a public reporting mechanism, including a portal and helpline, for registering complaints related to gambling.
Bangladesh Bank has also scheduled a review meeting with seven MFS operators on November 6.
The discussion will focus on the effectiveness of current control and monitoring systems, the capacity of MFS providers to implement new measures, and the support needed to curb online gambling transactions.
