BFIU to freeze 14,000 more MFS accounts over online gambling, hundi links

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has decided to freeze around 14,000 more mobile financial service (MFS) accounts over alleged links to online gambling and digital hundi activities.

A senior BFIU official confirmed the development to The Business Standard, saying the process of freezing the accounts has already begun.

"In the past month, we have frozen 10,000 MFS accounts. Based on a report submitted by an agency, we have decided to freeze another 14,000 accounts today. The process is already underway," the official said.

He said the easy availability of MFS accounts has allowed criminal networks to operate more easily.

"We have already identified the key individuals involved in these networks and sent information to the relevant agencies for taking action," he added.

The official further said steps are being taken to prevent individuals whose accounts were frozen over gambling-related activities from opening new MFS accounts using their national identity cards.

Earlier, on 25 June, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury told parliament that the BFIU had suspended or frozen transactions of around 55,000 MFS accounts linked to online gambling and digital hundi activities.

The government introduced the Cyber Security Act, 2026 on 10 April to curb online gambling. Under Section 20 of the law, online gambling has been recognised as a punishable offence.

The law criminalises creating or operating any portal, application or device for online gambling, participating in such activities, assisting or encouraging gambling, promoting gambling advertisements, and directly or indirectly marketing or publicising gambling-related activities.

Violations under the law carry a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk1 crore, or both.