In a bid to curb misuse of personal debit cards for commercial purposes, the Bank of Maldives (BML) announced that they will introduce a transaction fee of up to 30% on purchases made from specific international e-commerce platforms, including Temu, Shein, Alibaba, AliExpress, Lazada, and eBay, starting July 1, 2025.

The new measure comes as part of a broader policy revision aimed at facilitating legitimate foreign spending by personal banking customers while tightening controls on suspicious usage patterns.

BML stated that the decision follows continued observation of high USD transaction volumes on MVR debit cards at these platforms, which are believed to be linked to business activity.

As part of the updated policy, the monthly foreign transaction limit for MVR debit cards has been raised to USD 500, effective July 1.

The overseas ATM cash withdrawal limit will remain lower, capped at USD 125 per month, with each withdrawal incurring a USD 10 fee.

The 30% transaction fee will apply only to the listed e-commerce sites, and will not affect other international transactions such as hotel bookings, flight tickets, or digital subscriptions.

Additionally, the charge will not apply to customers using USD-linked debit cards or credit cards.

BML noted that these measures are intended to preserve the personal nature of MVR debit cards while continuing to support essential international payments.

The bank also confirmed that monthly foreign spending limits will reset on the 1st of every month.

BML's debit card foreign spending limit was previously raised to USD 250 following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Currently, the foreign transaction limit for credit cards remains at USD 750.

In a separate move in February 2025, the Bank introduced a special provision allowing Maldivian students studying abroad to withdraw up to USD 1,200 per month using both credit and debit cards.