SIM registered to a relative? Sorting out exchange phone recovery in Bangladesh

It is common in Bangladesh for the SIM you use every day to be registered under someone else's NID: a father bought it years ago, or a spouse registered several connections at once. Day to day it makes no difference. It matters the moment the SIM is lost, damaged or blocked, because getting a replacement from Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink or Teletalk usually requires the registered owner to appear with their NID and fingerprints. If that number is the only way to receive codes for your Binance, OKX, Bybit or Bitget account, you could be locked out until the paperwork is sorted.

Find out whose name the number is under

Most operators let you check how many and which SIMs are registered under an NID through a USSD code or their app; the operator's customer care page explains the current method. Do it for your own NID and ask the relative to check theirs. If the number you use for exchanges belongs to someone else, you have two choices: transfer ownership of that SIM to your NID at an operator customer care centre, which needs both of you present, or register a new SIM in your own name and move your exchange accounts to it.

Move away from SMS as the main factor

Whatever you decide about the SIM, reduce how much depends on it. In each exchange, open Security and add an authenticator app and, where offered, a passkey on your phone. Once those are working, SMS becomes a backup rather than the key to everything. Some platforms let you remove SMS entirely after another factor is active; read the prompt carefully, because changing security settings usually triggers a temporary withdrawal hold. Do this one exchange at a time so you can test each login before moving on.

Updating the phone number on each exchange

If you switch to a SIM in your own name, change the phone number inside each exchange while you still have the old SIM working. The change normally needs codes sent to both the old and the new number, plus your authenticator. Doing it after the old SIM is gone means going through the full recovery route instead, often with identity checks and a selfie. Make a short list of every account linked to the old number, including your email provider and bKash or Nagad, and update them in the same week.

If the SIM is already lost

First, ask the registered owner to block the SIM with the operator so nobody else can use it. Then try signing in to each exchange with your authenticator or passkey; if they work, change the phone number from Security. If SMS was your only factor, use the exchange's account recovery or reset security option in the login screen, and be ready to verify with the same ID you used for KYC. Ignore anyone on Facebook or Telegram offering to restore access for a fee; genuine recovery happens only through the exchange's own app or website.

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Scenario checkpoint

• Check which NID each SIM you use for exchanges is registered under through your operator.
• Add an authenticator app or passkey on every exchange so SMS is no longer the only factor.
• Change exchange phone numbers while the old SIM still works, one account at a time.
• Keep a list of accounts tied to the number, including email and mobile banking, and update them together.