Sending money from the United Kingdom to Bangladesh: the payments stack
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Bangladesh cost 5.11% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 32 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Bangladesh typically run over BEFTN (Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network), NPSB (National Payment Switch Bangladesh); between now and the end of 2027 there are 14 weekdays when banks in the United Kingdom are closed but Bangladesh keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 5.11% of GBP 120 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 5.5% across 28 services |
| Banks | 2.41% across 4 services |
| Collect in United Kingdom | Faster Payments, CHAPS, Bacs (Direct Credit and Direct Debit) |
| Pay out in Bangladesh | BEFTN (Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network), NPSB (National Payment Switch Bangladesh), BD-RTGS |
What it costs to send GBP 120
The World Bank surveyed 32 services sending from the United Kingdom to Bangladesh from 8 August 2025 to 26 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 5.11% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 5.5% and banks 2.41%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United Kingdom
- Money remittance and the execution of credit transfers and direct debits are payment services under the Payment Services Regulations 2017; a firm providing them must be an authorised payment institution or a small payment institution unless it is already another type of payment service provider or is exempt. Issuing e-money requires authorisation or registration under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. source
- Initial capital for an authorised payment institution is 20,000 euros for money remittance only, 50,000 euros for payment initiation and 125,000 euros for the services in paragraphs 1(a) to (e) of Schedule 1, such as executing payment transactions (PSRs 2017, Schedule 3). source
- An authorised e-money institution needs initial capital of at least 350,000 euros; a small e-money institution with average outstanding e-money of 500,000 euros or more holds at least 2% of that amount (EMRs 2011, Schedule 2). source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United Kingdom.
The payout side: Bangladesh
| Payout partner | What it does in Bangladesh | Source |
|---|---|---|
| dLocal · our guide | Payouts V3 pays BDT to bank accounts (account number, branch code, address and phone) and to bKash and Nagad wallets for B2C, B2B and P2P flows, identifying beneficiaries by their 17-digit National Identity Card number. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Its API lists bKash, Rocket and Nagad as Bangladesh wallet endpoints; for Bangladesh bank transactions only the NPSB scheme is allowed for quotes, and routing numbers are required. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Its money transfer API pays BDT in Bangladesh to bank accounts over NPSB and BEFTN (BEFTN credits T+1 when sent before the bank cut-off), to mobile wallets and for cash pickup. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays BDT to all banks in Bangladesh same day between 07:30 and 22:00 local time, Sunday to Thursday, and to bKash and Rocket wallets in real time 24x7, up to BDT 50,000 per wallet payout. | source |
| BRAC Saajan | FCA-authorised payment institution offering money transfer operators and wallets a single API for payouts to Bangladesh by cash pickup, bank transfer, instant transfer and wallet transfer, built on its own correspondent banking partnerships. | source |
| bKash | MFS wallet endpoint: remittances reach bKash accounts through authorised and listed foreign banks, MTOs and exchange houses settling via banks in Bangladesh, and recipients through legal channels get the 2.5% government incentive. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Bangladesh: launching payments in Bangladesh.
Payout rails in Bangladesh
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEFTN (Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network) | Bangladesh Bank | Interbank credit and debit transfers, including foreign and domestic remittances and payroll, cleared in processing sessions and settled on a deferred net basis on banks' accounts at Bangladesh Bank; entries that fall on a weekend or holiday settle on the next business day. | source |
| NPSB (National Payment Switch Bangladesh) | Bangladesh Bank | Interbank switch for ATM, POS, QR, internet banking fund transfers (IBFT) and interoperable bank and MFS transfers. Individual IBFT is capped at Tk 3,00,000 per transaction and Tk 10,00,000 a day, and corporate IBFT at Tk 5,00,000 per transaction and Tk 25,00,000 a day; Bangladesh Bank removed the cap on the number of daily IBFT transactions in April 2022, and banks may set lower limits. | source |
| BD-RTGS | Bangladesh Bank | Real-time gross settlement launched in October 2015 for high-value transfers of Tk 1,00,000 or more between customers; government payments and inland foreign currency transactions (six currencies) have no minimum. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 14 dates when the United Kingdom is closed and Bangladesh is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 14 dates when Bangladesh is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United Kingdom | Bangladesh | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Wed 16 Dec 2026 | Open | Victory Day | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Both closed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 31 Dec 2026 | Open | Bank holiday (annual closing) | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 5 Mar 2027 | Open | Jumatul Wida (last Friday of Ramadan) | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Fitr | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Independence and National Day | Both closed |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 13 Apr 2027 | Open | Chaitra Sankranti (Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban only) | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 14 Apr 2027 | Open | Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh 1434) | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Azha | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 20 May 2027 | Open | Buddha Purnima | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Wed 16 Jun 2027 | Open | Ashura | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | Open | Bank holiday (half-yearly closing) | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 5 Aug 2027 | Open | July Mass Uprising Day | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 25 Aug 2027 | Open | Janmashtami | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 16 Dec 2027 | Open | Victory Day | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Bangladesh the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 31 Dec 2027 | Open | Bank holiday (annual closing) | Bangladesh banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: United Kingdom and Bangladesh. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Faster Payments is available to customers 24/7, but net settlement between participants takes place in the Bank of England RTGS system three times each business day. source
- CHAPS does not run on weekends or England and Wales bank holidays, and the customer payment deadline is 17:40, so any same-day sterling funding of an overseas account must be instructed before then. source
- Under the Post-Fund modality the Bangladeshi bank pays out taka first and takes reimbursement in foreign currency from its foreign counterpart within the time frame of their tie-up, not more than T+2 days; the Pre-Fund modality (formerly EFT) is the prefunded route. source
- Bangladesh Bank's RTGS schedule from September 2025 runs customer taka transfers from 10:00 to 17:00 and interbank taka transfers to 17:15, with foreign currency transfers from 10:00 to 16:00 (customer) and 16:30 (interbank). source
- Since September 2026 (FEPD-2 Circular No. 05), foreign currency remittances received through exchange houses and IMTOs can also be credited to Personal Foreign Currency and Non-resident Foreign Currency Deposit accounts. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United Kingdom, the payout partners and banks in Bangladesh and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Bangladesh balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Bangladesh?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending GBP 120 at 5.11% in Q3 2025, across 32 services. Money transfer operators averaged 5.5%.
Which rails pay out in Bangladesh?
Local payouts run over BEFTN (Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network), NPSB (National Payment Switch Bangladesh), BD-RTGS.
When do I need to prefund Bangladesh payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 14 weekdays when the United Kingdom is closed and Bangladesh is open, the first on Mon 30 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- UK bank holidays (JSON feed) · GOV.UK
- UK bank holidays · GOV.UK
- Holidays of Bank/FIs 2026 · Bangladesh Bank
- DOS Circular Letter No. 20: List of holidays for the year 2026 · Bangladesh Bank
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.