Banglalink Gets Bangladesh Bank Approval for Mukto Pay Launch

Banglalink, the Bangladeshi arm of telecoms operator Veon, has won Payment Service Provider authorisation from Bangladesh Bank, opening the door for the company to launch a digital payments platform.

The operator plans to roll out its new offering, Mukto Pay, commercially next month once it completes outstanding regulatory and technical requirements. The service is designed to deliver straightforward, secure payment capabilities to users across the country.

Mukto Pay will enable peer-to-peer money transfers, merchant transactions, and e-commerce payments when it goes live. Additional functionality will include settling utility and government bills, processing salary disbursements, and handling other payment types permitted under the PSP regulatory framework.

The platform targets individuals and small businesses who lack access to traditional banking services, aiming to bring them into the formal financial system.

Veon Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu positioned the launch as part of a broader shift for the company's operating units. He noted that Banglalink is moving beyond its core telecoms business to build digital and financial infrastructure.

Bangladesh has enormous potential, and by giving individuals, micro-merchants and small businesses who remain unbanked or underserved a simple way into the formal financial system, Banglalink is helping more people participate in the country's growth. This reflects a pattern we are building across Veon: connectivity as the foundation, digital financial services as the next layer of value.

The PSP licence follows Veon's June 2026 announcement of Invest in Bangladesh NOW, a proposed public-private partnership with the Bangladeshi government focused on infrastructure development.

Under that framework, the group has pledged an initial $250M over the coming years and is pursuing $1B in foreign direct investment targeting connectivity, digital infrastructure, digital financial services, and artificial intelligence in Bangladesh.

Veon disclosed that it is also seeking a Digital Bank licence in Bangladesh, indicating further ambitions in the country's financial services sector beyond the payments app.