[🇧🇩] ICT Industry in Bangladesh

[Saif]

বাংলাদেশের ডিজিটাল দুনিয়ায় নিরবে বিপ্লব। আসছে বড় বিনিয়োগ।

 

[Saif]

Meta to deal directly with advertisers in Bangladesh

The development has created panic among businesses as they apprehend difficulties in ensuring compliance with VAT and tax regulations when advertising directly with Meta.

www.thedailystar.net

Meta to deal directly with advertisers in Bangladesh

Meta logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, plans to stop availing services of Httpool, its authorised sales partner in Bangladesh, from July and shift to a model where it will interact directly with advertisers.

"Meta has recently made the decision to standardise their advertiser service model worldwide," Aloke Panikar, regional director for Asia-Pacific at Aleph, the parent company of Httpool, said in a letter to advertisers in Bangladesh recently.

"…and in markets previously covered by an authorised sales partner, Meta will begin working with advertisers directly starting from July 1, 2024," the letter read.

"This means that Aleph will no longer be Meta's authorised sales partner."

The development has created panic among businesses as they apprehend difficulties in ensuring compliance with VAT and tax regulations when advertising directly with Meta.

"As a compliant company, we are worried," Fahim Mashroor, CEO of online job portal bdjobs.com, said.

"Advertising on Facebook with Httpool was easy as they took care of VAT and tax issues and we could pay in taka. Now, how Facebook will handle this remains unknown," he said.

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[Saif]

R&D a prerequisite to developing the software sector

The goal of transforming the country into a software powerhouse remains as elusive as ever, even though successive governments have emphasised the issue. The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) raised the issue again on the opening day of Basis SoftExpo 2023 late las

www.thefinancialexpress.com.bd

R&D a prerequisite to developing the software sector
Published: February 25, 2023 22:55:30

The goal of transforming the country into a software powerhouse remains as elusive as ever, even though successive governments have emphasised the issue. The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) raised the issue again on the opening day of Basis SoftExpo 2023 late last week and suggested that the ICT industry, academia and government devise a mechanism where the much-needed research and development (R&D) could be done. Such a move also needs to be supplemented by efforts to develop a qualified workforce for the software industry. Putting an efficient R&D network is imperative because the global software industry is fiercely competitive, where countries like India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Poland, Estonia and Ukraine are all vying for a share of the same pie.

The domestic software industry has been growing with government policy support, but much more needs to be done. One of the industry's Achilles Heels remains its lukewarm acceptance in the domestic market. Local companies are still facing an uphill task while selling their software to consumers at the corporate level. While smaller companies are slowly transitioning to a customised application made for their operations - whether it is payroll or inventory management, the prized contracts from the big conglomerates remain largely outside the purview of Bangladeshi software developers. The target is to raise the country's IT exports to US$5 billion by 2025 and $20 billion by 2030. But with the current state of affairs in the sector, it is doubtful the country would be able to go near the targets. Getting stakeholders like academia and software developers to collaborate with the relevant ministry is one part of that equation. But what will be the subjects of research? Data? That will not be easy. As far as big data is concerned, only the government can access that data: the NID database, credit information, and national household and health surveys, to name but a few.

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[Saif]

ICT sector hails extension of tax exemption

Extending the tax exemption until 2031 would better support Bangladesh's goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country and enhance the IT sector's capacity in domestic and global markets

www.thedailystar.net

ICT sector hails extension of tax exemption

Extending the tax exemption until 2031 would better support Bangladesh's goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country and enhance the IT sector's capacity in domestic and global markets

On behalf of the ICT sector, I thank honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for extending the tax exemption on the ICT sector by three years, aligning with BASIS's proposal for a Smart Bangladesh. I also thank the NBR for recognising the ICT sector's crucial role.

However, we believe extending it until 2031 would better support Bangladesh's goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country and enhance the IT sector's capacity in domestic and global markets.

Impact of Tax Exemption on Other Sectors

This tax exemption will significantly boost the IT sector and play a pivotal role as this sector can be the nucleus for building a Smart Bangladesh across education, healthcare, agriculture, banking, and manufacturing sectors.

These sectors are integral to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Without it, development would be disrupted, hindering the prime minister's vision of a Smart Bangladesh by 2041. This initiative revives BASIS's efforts toward self-sufficiency in software and IT services.

BASIS Advocacy for Extension in Pre-Budget Discussions

During the pre-budget discussion with the honorable Prime Minister at the Gonobhaban on May 25, I emphasised the importance of extending the tax exemption for the IT sector.

BASIS also met with key figures, including State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Kazi Nabil Ahmed to address this matter.

Future Goal: Bangladesh's Self-Sufficiency in ICT

Our future goal should be self-sufficiency in information technology. This budget sets the path to achieving it. Prioritising the domestic IT sector in government procurement is essential, and foreign institutions should partner with domestic ones if capacity is lacking for participating in the government tender.

As Bangladesh is set to become a developing country in 2026, we will face challenges. Establishing a recognised system of intellectual property valuation will help convert these challenges into opportunities, attracting foreign investment and enabling entrepreneurs to secure loans and investments from domestic banks.

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[Saif]

How can the women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh be well-equipped in the IT sector?

Committed to being 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041, rampant in every sphere of the country's operation is being redacted, ultimately leading the country to enjoy economic freedom and phylogenetic transcendence. In the era of globalization, the touch of information technology (IT) has highly practicable

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

How can the women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh be well-equipped in the IT sector?
TANJIM HASAN PATWARY
Published :
Jun 05, 2024 16:01
Updated :
Jun 05, 2024 16:01

Committed to being 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041, rampant in every sphere of the country's operation is being redacted, ultimately leading the country to enjoy economic freedom and phylogenetic transcendence.

In the era of globalization, the touch of information technology (IT) has highly practicable implications, ranging from personal life to national or cross-cultural applications, for necessity or to compete in the competitive world.

Women of Bangladesh engage themselves in all sorts of work, and acclimatization to AI is becoming critical, especially while doing business regarding women's entrepreneurship.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), in 2019-20 FY, the number of registered wholesale and retail businesses was more than 2.5 million, with more than 10 million male and almost 200 thousand female entrepreneurs.

Though the number is comparatively lower than that of male entrepreneurs, the percentage is in the upward position, and it increased to 829 per cent, compared with 2002-03 FY.

According to the Time Use Survey (TUS)—2021 report conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UN Women Bangladesh, 21.25 per cent of internet users were women, compared to 35.15 percent for men.

Though the survey reports regarding women are somewhat disappointing, the upward trend of women's engagement with trade is gradually increasing.

A friendly business environment for both men and women requires comprehending the portfolio of ventures and stretching to enhance profitability.

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