Not as a recognised activity. Bangladesh Bank has told the public to stay away from crypto since 2014, but we found no statute that names it as a crime and no court ruling, so the legal position stays disputed.

We could not find Bangladesh Bank’s own circulars on its site, so every central bank instrument below rests on press reports. Prothom Alo reported on 15 September 2014 that the bank asked everyone to refrain from trading Bitcoin, which it said is not legal tender, and cited the foreign exchange and money laundering laws. In 2021 the message wobbled: the Financial Express reported a letter of 18 May 2021 saying that holding or transacting in crypto “does not appear to be a crime”, and the Daily Star reported on 29 July 2021 that the bank does not allow holding or trading any cryptocurrency, citing the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947, the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 and the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009.

The firmest instrument is a circular of 15 September 2022. The Business Standard reports that it says transactions made to obtain virtual assets are not permitted, tells everyone operating in Bangladesh to refrain from dealing in them, and bars banks, non-bank lenders and mobile financial services from exchanging, transferring or trading them. A second report, of 12 October 2022, says the bank told banks to monitor accounts and stop crypto transactions.

We found no draft law, committee or licensing move between 2024 and 2026, and no court ruling on holding crypto. Where the law bites is covered below: who regulates, which products are limited, and the 2026 gambling law.

Which crypto exchanges work in Bangladesh?

Most of the exchanges we track accept Bangladeshi sign-ups by their own documents, but none holds a Bangladeshi licence because Bangladesh offers none.

We found no exchange licence, register or regulator for crypto services in Bangladesh, and no local company for any tracked platform. The wall below shows where each of the platforms stands. Status here answers whether a platform serves Bangladesh, not whether using it is lawful, which the first section covers. We did not verify how Bangladeshi users fund accounts, since banks and mobile money are barred from handling virtual assets.

Status wall of the 22 tracked platforms in Bangladesh. Restricted: Gemini and Crypto.com. Limited: Kraken, HTX, Hyperliquid. Available: Binance, Coinbase, Bybit, OKX, Bitstamp, Polymarket, Kalshi, Uniswap, KuCoin, Bitget, Gate, MEXC, Bitfinex, Lighter, Aster, Jupiter, PancakeSwap. We found no exchange licensing regime or register in Bangladesh, so no tracked platform holds a local licence.

Best crypto platforms for Bangladeshi residents

By our access score, eight exchanges tie at 8.0 out of 10 for Bangladeshi residents, Binance and Bybit among them. Coinbase and Bitstamp score 7.5, only because we have not tested them from Bangladesh.

The score rates how fully a Bangladeshi resident can use each platform, not its fees or safety. It is computed from our data and moves when a row changes: access status (4 points), the share of the platform’s products open here (3), the Bangladeshi licences we hold on file (2) and what our geo-access test saw from a Bangladeshi address (1). We hold no licence row for Bangladesh, so every platform scores 0 on licences. Platforms that refuse Bangladeshi residents are not scored. The full method is on our methodology page.

Exchanges

  1. Binance

    Best for A global exchange with broad listings

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its prohibited list
    • Its pages loaded in our geo-access test

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Binance report

  2. Bitfinex

    Best for Spot access under global terms

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not a prohibited jurisdiction in its terms

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Bitfinex report

  3. Bitget

    Best for Spot and derivatives under global terms

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its prohibited-countries list

    Cons

    • Its list covers other locations it designates later
    Read our Bitget report

  4. Bybit

    Best for Spot and derivatives under global terms

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its excluded-jurisdictions list

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Bybit report

  5. Gate

    Best for Spot and derivatives with many listings

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not named in its restricted-locations list

    Cons

    • Its list says it is not exhaustive
    Read our Gate report

  6. KuCoin

    Best for A global exchange with broad listings

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not a restricted location in its terms

    Cons

    • Its list may change at its discretion
    Read our KuCoin report

  7. MEXC

    Best for Spot and derivatives under global terms

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its prohibited list

    Cons

    • Its list is non-exclusive
    Read our MEXC report

  8. OKX

    Best for Spot and derivatives under global terms

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its restricted-locations list

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our OKX report

  9. Bitstamp

    Best for Plain spot trading

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • No Bitstamp document excludes Bangladesh

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Bitstamp report

  10. Coinbase

    Best for Spot trading with a US-listed brand

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is a listed sign-up country in its identity verification guide

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Coinbase report

  11. Kraken

    Best for Spot trading under global terms

    5.8/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    1.8/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Not on its do-not-serve list

    Cons

    • Excluded from Kraken Derivatives
    Read our Kraken report

  12. HTX

    Best for Spot trading with many altcoins

    5.7/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    1.7/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Open in our geo-access test

    Cons

    • Its user agreement bars derivatives here
    • Bank cards issued in Bangladesh are not supported
    Read our HTX report

Prediction markets

  1. Kalshi

    Best for US-regulated event contracts

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its restricted-jurisdictions list

    Cons

    • The 2026 gambling law makes the legal position unclear
    Read our Kalshi report

  2. Polymarket

    Best for Global event markets from a wallet

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its blocked-countries list

    Cons

    • The 2026 gambling law makes the legal position unclear
    Read our Polymarket report

DeFi

  1. Aster

    Best for Perpetuals and spot trading

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not on its prohibited-jurisdictions list

    Cons

    • Prediction trading is barred under its prediction rules
    Read our Aster report

  2. Lighter

    Best for Perpetuals on its trading app

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not named in its terms

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Lighter report

  3. Jupiter

    Best for Solana swaps

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Bangladesh is not named in its terms

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Jupiter report

  4. PancakeSwap

    Best for BNB Chain swaps and pools

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Its terms bar only people and places under US sanctions

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our PancakeSwap report

  5. Uniswap

    Best for Swapping tokens from your own wallet

    7.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Its terms bar only places under comprehensive US sanctions

    Cons

    • No Bangladeshi licence exists to hold
    Read our Uniswap report

  6. Hyperliquid

    Best for Perpetuals from your own wallet

    5.9/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    1.9/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Perps and spot loaded in our geo-access test

    Cons

    • Its Outcomes tab is hidden from Bangladesh
    Read our Hyperliquid report

Which platforms block Bangladeshi users?

Gemini and Crypto.com refuse Bangladeshi residents. Kraken, HTX and Hyperliquid stay open but cut a product.

Gemini’s areas of availability and its derivatives eligibility list leave Bangladesh out, so Bangladeshi residents cannot open an account. Crypto.com names Bangladesh on its App geo-restrictions list, updated 12 May 2026. Kraken excludes Bangladesh from Kraken Derivatives, as its derivatives eligibility list shows, and HTX bars derivatives here in its user agreement and does not support bank cards issued in Bangladesh. Hyperliquid’s trading app hides its Outcomes tab from a Bangladeshi address in our test.

We found no report of a block of a tracked exchange by Bangladesh’s telecom regulator. Every other platform we track is open to Bangladesh by its own documents.

Platforms that refuse or limit Bangladeshi residentsPick one to see what the record says
PlatformStatusTypeWhat the record saysBangladeshi option
GeminiRestrictedExchangeBangladesh is not on either of Gemini’s lists of supported countries–
Crypto.comRestrictedExchangeBangladesh is on the Crypto.com App geo-restrictions list–
KrakenLimitedExchangeSpot is open; Bangladesh is excluded from Kraken DerivativesSpot trading
HTXLimitedExchangeDerivatives are barred and bank cards issued here are not supportedSpot trading
HyperliquidLimitedDeFiThe Outcomes tab is hidden by the trading app’s location checkPerpetuals and spot

Source: platform documents and our geo-access test, verified 7 November 2026.

What our geo-access test saw from Bangladesh

From a Bangladeshi address on 14 and 16 October 2026 we loaded all 12 platforms we tested with no barrier. We did not test the other ten tracked platforms.

The test uses virtual locations, an address registered to the country but served from elsewhere, so it sees a platform’s own geo-blocking and cannot see a block by a Bangladeshi internet provider. An open page is not permission, and most platforms enforce at identity verification, so a loading home page does not mean an account will pass checks. The screenshots below come from a repeat scan on 2 November 2026; swipe through them, each card says what the page showed.

What each platform showed us from hereScreenshots from our geo-access test, 2 Nov 2026. Scroll sideways or use the arrows.
Home page of Binance loaded from Bangladesh: Bangladesh: the home page loads with no notice and a sign-up button

No barrierBinance · Home page

Bangladesh: the home page loads with no notice and a sign-up button

2 Nov 2026 · HTTP 202 · Binance located us in Bangladesh · virtual location

Home page of Bitget loaded from Bangladesh: Bangladesh: the home page loads with no notice

No barrierBitget · Home page

Bangladesh: the home page loads with no notice

2 Nov 2026 · HTTP 200 · virtual location

Sign-up page of Gate loaded from Bangladesh: Bangladesh: the sign-up form loads with no notice and asks for a country of residence

No barrierGate · Sign-up page

Bangladesh: the sign-up form loads with no notice and asks for a country of residence

“Country/Region of Residence”

2 Nov 2026 · HTTP 200 · virtual location

Home page of HTX loaded from Bangladesh: Bangladesh: the home page loads with no notice; HTX bars derivatives and bank cards here in its documents

No barrierHTX · Home page

Bangladesh: the home page loads with no notice; HTX bars derivatives and bank cards here in its documents

2 Nov 2026 · HTTP 200 · virtual location

Trading app of Hyperliquid loaded from Bangladesh: Bangladesh: the trading app loads with perps and spot; the Outcomes tab is hidden

No barrierHyperliquid · Trading app

Bangladesh: the trading app loads with perps and spot; the Outcomes tab is hidden

2 Nov 2026 · HTTP 200 · virtual location

Home page of KuCoin loaded from Bangladesh: Bangladesh is not a restricted location in KuCoin terms, and its home page loads with no notice

No barrierKuCoin · Home page

Bangladesh is not a restricted location in KuCoin terms, and its home page loads with no notice

2 Nov 2026 · HTTP 200 · virtual location

CRYPTORESTRICTIONS

Who regulates crypto in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh Bank sets the rule that matters, and no regulator has a crypto licensing mandate. The financial intelligence unit, the securities commission and the tax board each touch it from the side.

Timeline in three lanes. Bangladesh Bank, 15 September 2014: Bitcoin warning (Not legal tender). Bangladesh Bank, 29 July 2021: Trading not allowed (Reverses May letter). Bangladesh Bank, 15 September 2022: Virtual assets circular (Banks, mobile money barred). Gambling law, 1 July 2026: Gambling Prevention Act (Replaces the 1867 Act). Tax, 4 November 2024: Capital gains order (S.R.O. 383). Tax, 16 October 2025: English text gazetted (Income Tax Act 2023).

  • Bangladesh Bank. The central bank, which controls foreign exchange and issued the virtual asset circulars above. Its site carries none of them where we could find it, so press reports are our only source for their wording.
  • Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU). The lead agency against money laundering and terrorist financing, which supervises reporting organisations. We saw no virtual asset circular on its site.
  • Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC). Its stated role is protecting investors in securities. We saw no crypto mandate.
  • National Board of Revenue (NBR). The tax authority, covered in the tax section.
  • Telecom regulator. The 2026 gambling bill would have the telecom regulator block illegal betting sites and apps, the Daily Star reported on 24 June 2026. We could not open its own site.

Which crypto products are limited in Bangladesh?

The banking route is closed: the central bank bars banks and mobile money from handling virtual assets and says money sent abroad to obtain them is not permitted. Platforms add smaller cuts, mainly derivatives.

Ledger of four rules. Banks and mobile money: barred, banks and mobile money may not trade virtual assets, September 2022. Foreign exchange for crypto: barred, money sent abroad to obtain virtual assets is not permitted, September 2022. Derivatives: limited, kraken and htx exclude bangladesh from derivatives, Verified 2026. Cards and outcome markets: limited, htx bars cards issued here; hyperliquid hides outcomes, Verified 2026.

  • Banks and mobile money. The September 2022 circular, as reported, bars them from exchanging, transferring or trading virtual assets.
  • Sending money abroad. The Financial Express reported on 16 September 2022 that a Bangladesh Bank notice says transactions made to obtain virtual assets are not permitted, and that using foreign exchange to buy them is prohibited. We found no court case testing it.
  • Derivatives. Kraken and HTX exclude Bangladesh, as the blocked-platforms section lists.
  • Cards and outcome markets. HTX does not support bank cards issued here, and Hyperliquid hides its Outcomes tab from a Bangladeshi address.
  • Peer-to-peer trading. We found no Bangladesh Bank rule that names it.

The law is unsettled. A new gambling act makes online betting a serious crime from 1 July 2026, and we found no ruling on whether prediction markets count, though Polymarket and Kalshi list no Bangladeshi restriction.

Bar chart of maximum prison terms under the Gambling Prevention Act 2026, as reported by The Business Standard: organised gambling, or laundering by crypto, 10 years and a fine of Tk 5 crore; running an online betting platform, 7 years and a fine of Tk 5 crore; using a vpn or mirror site to enable gambling, 7 years and a fine of Tk 5 crore; online gambling offences, 5 years and a fine of Tk 1 crore; promotion or affiliate links, 3 years and a fine of Tk 50 lakh; conventional gambling, 2 years and a fine of Tk 2 lakh. Beside it, platform status for Bangladesh: Polymarket available, Kalshi available, Hyperliquid outcome markets restricted. We found no regulator, court or press position on prediction markets.

The Business Standard reported on 2 July 2026 that the Gambling Prevention Act 2026 replaces the Public Gambling Act of 1867, and the official laws site marks the old Act repealed by Act No. 98 of 2026. The report gives the penalty tiers charted above, and says gambling proceeds moved through crypto are a predicate offence under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, and that courts can confiscate crypto and authorities can freeze it. We could not read the Act’s own text, so the tiers are as reported.

The Daily Star’s account of the bill said it covered Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT, VPNs and crypto wallets. Nothing we found says how it applies to an event contract. Polymarket and Kalshi list no Bangladeshi restriction, and we found no local prediction-market product. Reading an event contract as online betting is a risk, not a ruling.

How is crypto taxed in Bangladesh?

We found no crypto-specific tax rule. The English text of the Income Tax Act 2023 never mentions crypto, so any tax would come through its general capital gains rules, which the National Board of Revenue has not applied to crypto in anything we read.

Holding-period track for capital gains on other assets under the Income Tax Act 2023 Seventh Schedule: a gain within 5 years of acquisition is added to total income at slab rates, and after 5 years the rate is 15 per cent. What the rules say about crypto: no crypto-specific tax rule found; the English text of the Act has no crypto or virtual asset term; taxing gains as capital gains is our reading, not an NBR statement. Returns are due 30 November, a statement of assets is needed above 50 lakh taka or for any asset abroad, and the tax-free income threshold is 4 lakh taka for 2026-27 per UNB.

We text-searched the English text, gazetted on 16 October 2025 and carrying amendments up to the Finance Act 2024 per a law firm’s note, for “virtual”, “crypto”, “digital asset” and “bitcoin” and found none. Section 2(77) defines a capital asset as property of any kind and sections 57 and 58 tax gains on transferring one, so a gain on crypto could be read as a capital gain, but that is our reading and the Bank’s circulars treat the activity as barred. For capital assets other than listed shares, the Seventh Schedule adds a gain made within five years of acquisition to total income at slab rates, and taxes one made after five years at 15%.

The income year runs from 1 July to 30 June, and returns are due on 30 November. Section 167 requires a statement of assets and liabilities from individuals with assets above Tk 50 lakh or any asset abroad. UNB reported on 29 June 2026 that Parliament set the tax-free threshold at Tk 4 lakh; we could not confirm the final slab rates. On reporting, the Financial Express reported on 8 August 2025 that the government plans to enforce the Common Reporting Standard; the article does not mention crypto, and we found no Bangladeshi commitment to the OECD crypto reporting framework.