AmCham urges policy reforms to accelerate Bangladesh's digital economy
Rehan Asif Asad, advisor to the Prime Minister on Post, Telecommunication, ICT, Science and Technology, attended the event as the chief guest.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) has called for policy reforms to support innovation, investment, cybersecurity and ICT-led growth in Bangladesh.
The call came at AmCham's policy dialogue titled "Accelerating Bangladesh's Digital Future: Policy Priorities for Innovation, Investment & ICT-Led Growth", held at The Westin Dhaka today (9 August).
Rehan Asif Asad, advisor to the Prime Minister on Post, Telecommunication, ICT, Science and Technology, attended the event as the chief guest.
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Speaking at the event, he outlined five government priorities for the ICT and telecom sector, which has been designated as a thrust sector.
These include a consistent five-year tax policy, improved mobile and broadband connectivity, digital public infrastructure, AI and cybersecurity skills development and expansion of electronics manufacturing.
He said the telecom sector currently faces an effective tax burden of 51-56%, compared with a global average of 22-27% and noted the removal of the SIM tax.
On digital infrastructure, he outlined the government's plan for "One Citizen, One ID, One Digital Wallet", based on Estonia's X-Road platform. The platform would be provided free of cost, with citizens' IDs linked to bank accounts and the National Board of Revenue.
The government also plans to equip some 23,000-30,000 annual engineering and science graduates with skills in AI, cybersecurity and data, while introducing these subjects into school curricula.
Rehan also stressed the potential for electronics manufacturing, citing Vietnam's increase in consumer electronics exports from $1 billion to $217 billion over a decade.
In the opening remarks, Syed Mohammad Kamal, president of AmCham and vice president of Mastercard, welcomed the government's ratification of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), saying the final legislation reflected most of AmCham's recommendations.
He also welcomed measures in the Finance Act 2026, including tax exemptions for freelancers and content creators and customs relief on computers, digital devices and semiconductor-related materials.
Kamal called for greater clarity on the new digital permanent establishment provision linked to the 1,00,000-subscriber threshold, reconsideration of the increase in ISPs' turnover tax from 1% to 1.5% of gross receipts and easier inbound and outbound international payments for technology companies and startups.
He also urged the government to involve foreign investors in policymaking and national business forums to bring global expertise and international best practices into policy formulation.
During the dialogue, AmCham members from Citibank, Cisco, HSBC, Mastercard, MetLife, Pathao, PwC, Standard Chartered Bank, ShopUp and Visa raised issues related to digital payments, cloud services, cybersecurity, data governance and AI talent.
They called for open-loop ticketing for metro and toll systems, wider access to Bangla QR and the "One Citizen, One Wallet" initiative for international payment networks, and alignment of cloud policies for banks and non-bank financial institutions with the PDPA.
They also called for the early formation of the National Data Governance Authority, wider use of digital signatures and enforceable electronic agreements, stronger national cybersecurity and closer industry-academia cooperation to address shortages of AI and data engineering talent.
In response, Rehan said RFID-based automated toll collection was under trial and that Bangladesh Bank had agreed to open Bangla QR for inward international payments as a first step.
He said the "One Citizen, One ID" platform would be open to both domestic and international networks, while Startup Sandbox provisions would be fine-tuned in consultation with the wider startup community.
He identified national cybersecurity as his immediate priority and said work on a national AI policy would begin in the fourth quarter through a joint team comprising representatives from the private sector, government, academia and research institutions.
Rehan also stressed the need to expand submarine cable capacity, saying Bangladesh currently has six terabytes of capacity against peak national demand of 12 terabytes. He noted that traffic is doubling every two years and that new submarine cables take two to three years to build.
