Bangladesh Bank has announced a significant increase in the limits for purchasing digital goods and services using mobile phone balances. The move is aimed at promoting digital transactions and making both government and private services more accessible to consumers.
Under the new guidelines, an individual customer can now spend up to Tk 2,000 per month and Tk 20,000 per year on digital products and services through mobile balances. Previously, the limits were Tk 600 per month and Tk 3,000 per year. The revision comes in response to requests from the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) and growing market demand.
Lt. Col. (Retd.) Mohammad Zulfikar, Secretary General of AMTOB, said, “Mobile users can now purchase a wider range of digital services up to Tk 2,000 per month, compared with the previous limit of Tk 600. This includes 33 government services, such as birth, death, and marriage registrations, citizenship and orphan certificates, new voter verification services, alongside local and international OTT and entertainment services.”
The Bangladesh Bank notification highlighted that the new limits are implemented under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2024 and fall under the Direct Operator Billing (DOB) service framework. Until formal guidelines are issued, mobile operators are authorised to provide DOB services until 30 June 2026.
Operators offering DOB services must comply with a set of conditions, including:
Adhering to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
Selling only digital products suitable for mobile devices.
Prioritising their own products or services.
Prohibiting social media apps, virtual currencies, gambling, cryptocurrency, lotteries, forex trading, and multi-level marketing.
Obtaining Bangladesh Bank approval for foreign currency remittances.
Ensuring product delivery, protecting consumer rights, and implementing refund policies.
A summary of the revised purchase limits is provided below:
| Serial No. | Limit Type | Previous Limit | New Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monthly | Tk 600 | Tk 2,000 |
| 2 | Annual | Tk 3,000 | Tk 20,000 |
Bangladesh Bank expects that the forthcoming DOB regulations, to be published imminently, will make mobile payments more transparent, secure, and user-friendly. Experts predict that the increased limits will accelerate the growth of the country’s digital economy and provide mobile users with a significantly more convenient and flexible platform for accessing both government and private digital services.