bKash, Nagad transactions restricted for 96 hrs: What’s open, what’s closed

Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, Bangladesh Bank has imposed special restrictions on transactions through mobile financial services or MFS such as bKash, Nagad and Rocket. The directive came into effect from 12:00 am on Monday night and will remain in force until 11:59 pm on 12 February, during the election.

During this continuous 96-hour period, customers will be able to use some specific services, but key services such as cash-in and cash-out will remain suspended.

Under the Bangladesh Bank directive, all cash-in and cash-out services from personal accounts have been temporarily suspended to curb the influence of illicit money during the election.

This means customers will not be able to deposit money into their accounts or withdraw cash from agent points during this period. For this reason, the cash-in and cash-out icons on bKash and Nagad apps are currently inactive or shown in a different colour.

Customers will be able to send money to other personal numbers in emergencies. However, strict limits have been imposed. A customer can send a maximum of Tk 1,000 per transaction, up to 10 transactions a day. This means no more than Tk 10,000 can be sent per day.

To reduce inconvenience to the public, mobile recharges, utility bill payments for electricity, gas and water, and shopping payments have been kept normal. No new limits or restrictions have been imposed in these areas. Customers will be able to make payments or pay bills using the balance in their accounts as usual.

There will be no restrictions on paying educational institution fees or other essential government service fees. These services will continue under existing rules.

Sources said the central bank imposed the curbs to prevent vote-buying and the flow of funds for any form of sabotage during the election. All MFS services will return to full operation after midnight on 12 February. Various MFS providers have apologised to customers for the temporary inconvenience and requested cooperation in line with government directives.