Bangladesh's central bank has warned against dealing in Bitcoin, saying anybody caught using the virtual currency could be jailed under the country's strict anti-money laundering laws.

 The Bangladesh Bank, which regulates the impoverished country's banking industry, said it issued the order after reports in local media of Bitcoin transactions through various online exchange platforms.

 "Bitcoin is not a legal tender of any country. Any transaction through Bitcoin or any other crypto currency is a punishable offence," the bank said in a statement on Monday.

 Bank officials told AFP separately that anyone found guilty in Bangladesh of using Bitcoin could be sentenced to up to 12 years in jail.

[–]rizzledizzle 30 points 4 hours ago

As a Bangladeshi, this is stupid but expected from the government. It's also not going to be enforced.

The country is so poor and corrupt, anything goes. I believe VOIP is still considered illegal to try and help the national telephone subsidy, but everyone still uses Skype/Facetime/etc.