Bangladesh hit a record $30 billion in remittances in 2025, but crypto remains banned. Learn how mobile apps like bKash are replacing informal systems - and why the central bank refuses to allow Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Remittance Fees Bangladesh: How Crypto Is Changing Cross-Border Transfers
When someone in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Malaysia sends money back to family in remittance fees Bangladesh, the cost of moving money across borders. Also known as international money transfer costs, these fees often eat up 5% to 8% of every dollar sent—far above the UN’s 3% target. For millions of Bangladeshi workers, that’s not just a number. It’s a week’s food, a child’s school fee, or a medical bill they can’t afford.
Traditional services like Western Union and MoneyGram charge high rates, require physical visits, and take days to clear. Meanwhile, crypto remittance, using digital currencies to send value across borders without banks. Also known as blockchain-based transfers, it’s quietly becoming the quiet alternative for those tired of hidden fees and delays. Platforms like Stellar, Ripple, and even Bitcoin-based solutions let users send BDT equivalents in minutes for under 1% in fees. No middlemen. No paperwork. Just a wallet and an internet connection.
It’s not magic—it’s math. When you cut out intermediaries, you cut the markup. And in Bangladesh, where over $20 billion flows in annually from overseas workers, even a 2% savings means $400 million back in people’s pockets every year. Some users are already doing it: factory workers in Qatar, nurses in Saudi Arabia, and construction crews in Malaysia are using Telegram-based crypto wallets to send funds directly to relatives who cash out via local exchanges or P2P platforms like Paxful or LocalBitcoins.
But it’s not perfect. Not everyone has a smartphone. Not every village has reliable internet. And scams still exist—fake airdrops, phishing apps, and fake wallet apps that steal private keys. That’s why the real win isn’t just the tech. It’s the peer-to-peer payments, direct transfers between sender and receiver without third-party control. Also known as direct crypto transfers, they put power back in the hands of the sender and receiver. The posts below show real cases: how people in Dhaka are using crypto to avoid bank fees, how traders on Binance P2P are undercutting traditional agents, and why some remittance corridors are shifting faster than regulators can keep up.
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