BB closing around 200 MFS accounts a day in hundi crackdown: Governor

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder on Monday said around 200 mobile financial services (MFS) accounts are closing each day due to their hundi connection.

The central bank is checking rigorously trade transactions through LC and mobile financial services to prevent money laundering activities by any means, he said.

The governor said this in the opening ceremony of the money laundering prevention workshop held at the head office of the Criminal Investigation (CID), Bangladesh Police in the capital on Monday.

Rouf highlighted the steps taken to prevent money laundering since his joining the Central Bank as Governor.

He said, "When I joined Bangladesh Bank in 2022, there was a severe crisis of foreign exchange in the country. At that time I took the first step to stop over-invoicing."

Again, money laundering occurs despite keeping the profit of export products abroad. Initiatives are also taken to prevent that, he mentioned.

The governor expressed the strong stand of the central bank on banning hundi.  He said expatriates may send Tk 500 to their family in the country, then he gives it to someone he knows abroad and asks him to give it to his family in the country.

That money remains abroad. In contrast, a representative in Bangladesh paid the amount. As earlier payment was made through home delivery, now it is done through MFS.

Around 200 such accounts are being closed every day. Later some accounts were opened again with guarantees, permanent action was taken against some of them, he said.

Highlighting the context of the campaign against money changers, the governor said $45 to $50 million transactions are done through money changers in the country every year. About $270 billion in transitions are made in the banking channel.

But despite a small fraction of transactions, when money changers hiked the dollar rate, many expatriates tried to hold on to remittances. This is how the dollar crisis was created, Rouf pointed out.

"That is why the campaign against money changers is on-going. Also, avoid dealing in crypto-currencies. It is completely illegal in our country," said the BB Governor.

CID Chief and Additional IGP Muhammad Ali Mia in the chair, head of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) Md Masud Biswas also spoke at the function.