Crypto & Digital Assets - Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bank states virtual currencies are not recognised 'currency' or approved foreign exchange under the FER Act 1947, so transactions in/from/to Bangladesh to obtain virtual assets, and any facilitation of their exchange/transfer/trading, are not permitted.

Bangladesh Bank has reiterated that not only transactions but also the promotion of cryptocurrency is illegal, warning of violations of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 and the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009.

Crypto cannot be used to settle foreign-exchange transactions or remittances; the central bank has signalled crypto has no place in the remittance ecosystem and there are no carve-outs for personal use.

The ICT Division's 2026 policy assigns VASP activity (exchange, transfer, custody, issuance) to Bangladesh Bank's AML/CFT framework and tokenised securities/STOs to BSEC under the Securities and Exchange Ordinance 1969, but does not authorise private crypto trading.

Bangladesh has pursued permissioned/sovereign blockchain use (building on the 2020 National Blockchain Strategy) for non-financial and trade applications while keeping a prohibitive stance on private cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

The prohibition operates through foreign-exchange and AML law and central-bank notices rather than a dedicated crypto-ban statute; private possession sits in a legal grey area while any transacting/facilitation is treated as unlawful.