BIDA to launch a unified online platform to facilitate better

Bangladesh Investment Development Authority- BIDA is set to launch the Bangladesh Business Portal, a unified online platform designed to consolidate all trade and investment-related services under a single digital interface. This initiative, approved during BIDA’s Governing Board meeting on 13 April chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, seeks to address long-standing issues investors face when navigating fragmented and often manual government service systems.

The portal will integrate existing One Stop Service (OSS) systems from multiple government agencies, along with the National Board of Revenue’s National Single Window (NSW). Currently, investors must visit multiple websites and offices—such as the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, BEPZA, BEZA, and others—to access essential permits and services. This scattered setup leads to inefficiencies, confusion, and opportunities for rent-seeking behavior.

To streamline this process, all services that are already digitized must completely phase out manual alternatives within one month, and fully manual services must be digitized within three months. The Chief Adviser’s Office is expected to issue a formal directive to enforce this timeline.

BIDA’s Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun emphasized that the new portal will offer a single login, through which users can be redirected to the appropriate agency or service, eliminating the need to hop between platforms. This user-friendly system is modeled after successful international examples like Singapore’s Enterprise Singapore and India’s Invest India.

Additionally, multiple agencies mandated by the One Stop Service Act of 2018—such as BEZA, BEPZA, the Hi-Tech Park Authority, and the Small and Cottage Industries Corporation—will now offer their services through this centralized portal. This shift aims to enhance the ease of doing business, particularly for foreign investors unfamiliar with Bangladesh’s bureaucratic structure, and reflects a broader effort to modernize and digitalize investment facilitation nationwide.