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A total of Tk 76,000 crore allegedly linked to the Sheikh Hasina family and 10 talked-about business groups has been frozen, with Tk 57,000 crore blocked into Bangladesh and the remaining amount restrained abroad, officials said.
The disclosure came on Wednesday during a press briefing at the headquarters of Bangladesh Bank, where Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit chief Ikhtiar Uddin Muhammad Mamun presented the 2024–25 annual report.
Mamun said preparations have been completed to file cases in 11 issues, with efforts underway to recover laundered funds through legal channels by the end of the year.
He added that nearly 31,000 suspicious transactions were identified in the past fiscal year, around 95 percent of which occurred through banks.
According to the report, monitoring of suspicious financial activities has increased significantly as Bangladesh intensifies efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.
In FY 2024–25, a total of 30,199 Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) were submitted—an about 80 percent rise from the previous year.
The number marks a sharp increase from 17,345 reports in FY 2023–24 and just 5,280 in FY 2020–21, reflecting nearly sixfold growth over four years.
The report notes that under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 (amended in 2015) and the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, reporting entities are legally bound to submit reports on any unusual or suspicious financial activity without delay.
BFIU analysis attributes the surge in reporting to stricter regulatory oversight, stronger compliance requirements, improved transaction monitoring systems, and increased awareness among financial institutions.
It also highlights growing risks from online gambling, foreign exchange and cryptocurrency transactions, and digital hundi networks.
Sector-wise data shows that the banking sector remains the primary source of reports, contributing over 90 percent in the past three years—rising to 95 percent in FY 2024–25.
Banks alone submitted 28,755 reports during the year, up to 80 percent from the previous fiscal.
Meanwhile, reports from financial institutions doubled to 250, while submissions from money transfer entities rose to 1,095, though their overall share remains relatively small.
Officials say the trend reflects tighter surveillance, improved risk-based supervision and expanding use of technology in tracking illicit financial flows.
