The Bangladeshi government will introduce a Unique Business Identity (UBI) system under a new Central Complaint Management System (CCMS) to reduce fraud and address consumer complaints. State Minister of ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak stated that the Ministry of Commerce, supported technically by the ICT Division, will oversee the initiative.
The UBI system, launching in February, will require ecommerce companies to register to continue their operations. Palak urged consumers to buy only from verified businesses to avoid scams. Registration involves providing national ID information and is linked to the Porichoy identity gateway.
Fraud cases have undermined public trust in ecommerce. To address this, the government has planned four key measures: mandatory digital business registration via UBI; a CCMS pilot launching alongside UBI; the March launch of the Interoperable Digital Transaction Platform (IDTP) to enable seamless bank and mobile money transfers; and a Central Logistic Tracking Platform (CLTP) requiring couriers to scan parcels at handovers for real-time online tracking.
Digital ID possession will be compulsory for online business operation. Consumer rights hearings can be conducted virtually through the CCMS. Rezwanul Haque Jami of the A2i programme emphasized that UBI registration brings all internet businesses under unified regulatory monitoring.
The announcement followed a meeting chaired by ICT Division senior secretary NM Zeaul Alam and attended by senior commerce and consumer protection officials.
