Bangladesh Bank has extended the deadline for implementing new security measures governing card-to-mobile financial services (MFS) “add money” transactions until December 31, 2026, giving banks and MFS providers six more months to comply.
The central bank introduced the new rules to prevent fraud and strengthen customer protection in transfers from bank cards to personal MFS accounts, such as bKash and Nagad.
Under the revised timeline, any bank or MFS provider that fails to implement the required technical measures by the deadline will have its card-to-MFS “add money” service suspended from January 1, 2027.
The new rules require that the bank cardholder and the MFS account holder be the same person. Customers will no longer be allowed to transfer money to their own MFS accounts using another person’s bank card.
For first-time card linking, users must complete a token transaction of up to Tk 500. If successful, the card will be permanently linked to the MFS account after a 24-hour waiting period, enabling regular transactions.
Bangladesh Bank has also instructed that card-to-MFS transfers be classified as “fund transfers” instead of “merchant payments.” Card-issuing banks must also be able to identify the specific MFS wallet receiving the funds.
The central bank said all other existing rules governing personal MFS accounts will remain unchanged, and the revised directive takes effect immediately. Previously, the implementation deadline had been set for July 31, 2026.
