BanglaBiz 2.0 Launched as Unified Digital Investment Gateway
Bangladesh has taken another step forward toward establishing a single, comprehensive, and fully digital investment service platform for investors with the launch of BanglaBiz 2.0, the upgraded version of the BanglaBiz platform. The new version was officially unveiled on Sunday, February 1, through a joint initiative.
The second version of BanglaBiz—Phase 2—was jointly inaugurated by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at BIDA’s office in Agargaon, Dhaka, in the presence of local and foreign business representatives, government officials, and development partners.
At the event, the core functionalities of the new version and the investment service delivery process were demonstrated live. It was shown that with the newly added features in BanglaBiz 2.0, investors can now complete five key approvals required to start a business—namely name clearance, opening of a temporary bank account, company registration, e-TIN, and trade license—through a single application under the “Business Starter Package.” As a result, investors will be able to complete the business registration process within just three working days.
To further streamline approval processes, more than 20 frequently used business approvals have been directly integrated into the BanglaBiz platform. These include environmental clearance, VAT registration, factory and fire safety licenses, and Import and Export Registration Certificates (IRC and ERC). Through the “Know Your Approvals” feature, investors can also identify in advance which documents are mandatory for approvals in their respective sectors. Using a BanglaBiz ID, investors will be able to manage business profiles, share information, and easily track the progress of applications submitted to different agencies. In the future, this will serve as the foundation for introducing a nationwide unique business ID. In addition, the single sign-on facility will allow seamless access to BanglaBiz and the OSS systems of related agencies using a single login.
Speaking as a special guest at the event, JICA Bangladesh Office Chief Tomohide Ichiguchi said that investors have long been demanding transparent, fast, and predictable government services. BanglaBiz, he said, is a practical and effective response to that demand. By integrating online business registration and approval processes, BanglaBiz will transform Bangladesh’s investment climate into a world-class ecosystem.
He added that JICA will continue supporting Bangladesh in building an investment-friendly, transparent, and predictable business environment.
In his chair’s remarks, BIDA Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury said investors need a reliable platform with defined timelines, transparent workflows, and assured service delivery. That is why BanglaBiz is being developed as a multi-agency service portal to significantly reduce the complexities faced by both local and foreign investors in doing business.
He further said that at a recent BIDA Governing Board meeting chaired by the Chief Adviser, a decision was taken to designate BanglaBiz as the single entry point for all government investment-related services, and it is expected to be gazetted soon.
He also noted that the platform will bring Bangladesh closer to global benchmarks in digital investment services.
Also present at the event were the Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy for International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Japanese Ambassador Saida, Local Government Division Secretary Md. Rezaul Maksud Jahedi, among others.
Lutfey Siddiqi said that for government services to be truly digital, they must be user-centric and fully digital from start to finish. At the same time, unnecessary and complex processes must be simplified or eliminated wherever possible.
DBTech/GNO/EK/OR
