Bangladesh Bank has come up with fresh guidelines for ‘Add Money’ transfers from bank cards to MFS wallets like bKash, Nagad and Rocket. The main change is in the first-time linking of the card, which requires a mandatory token transaction of up to Tk 500, followed by a 24-hour wait for regular add-money transfers.
The central bank says the move is aimed at improving transparency, avoiding digital fraud and bolstering AML/CFT compliance. So basically, the rule is there to authenticate the user before allowing bigger transfers from card to wallet.
The Importance of the wait
For regular users, the new rule means that transfers from card to MFS will not be instant on first use. If the payment is urgent, the waiting period can be frustrating. Even if the link is successful, the wallet cannot be used normally until the waiting period ends.
However, the waiting period can be waived if the cardholder and the MFS account holder are confirmed to be the same person based on matching NID-linked registration data shared by the bank and the MFS provider.
New features for users
The guidelines also reclassify card-to-MFS add money as “fund transfers” and not “market payments.” This means that the card-issuing bank should be able to see the beneficiary’s wallet number at the time of the transaction.
Bangladesh Bank has asked banks and MFS providers to finish system upgradation by July 31, 2026 and warned that non-compliant providers may be suspended from the service from August 1, 2026.
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Effect on bKash and Nagad
For bKash and Nagad users, the biggest practical impact is the additional verification at the start of card-based add money. Once the initial process is complete, everyday transfers can be continued as normal, as long as the provider has put the new rules in place.
In the short term, this policy could curb casual card-to-wallet activity, but it also signals increased scrutiny of Bangladesh’s fast-growing digital payments ecosystem.
Summary: Bangladesh Bank’s new card-to-MFS rules are aimed at stopping fraud and improving AML compliance, but they also add a new 24-hour waiting period for first-time add-money use.
