Biz ID made mandatory for all online sellers

The government yesterday rolled out the Digital Business Identification (DBID) as part of its efforts to restore discipline in the digital commerce sector and check irregularities.

More than 1,600 e-commerce companies and nearly 5 lakh Facebook-based companies are involved in Bangladesh's digital commerce sector.

DBID is a legal base for e-commerce entrepreneurs under which they can claim various government facilities, said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi while inaugurating DBID's app during an inter-ministerial meeting yesterday.

Some 11 companies got the DBID certificates. Gradually, all e-commerce companies and online businesses will have to obtain the certificate to operate.

It was introduced as part of the government plan to curb frauds in the burgeoning e-commerce sector, whose reputation took a beating last year after reports emerged of sites taking advance payments from consumers without delivering goods.

At least 16 major e-commerce companies have embezzled thousands of crores from customers.

The government is trying to refund the money that has been stuck up in the payment gateway as soon as possible, Munshi said, adding that Tk 15 crore has been refunded to fraudulent e-commerce platform Qcoom's customers.

However, making refunds to customers of companies that are facing court cases may take more time, he added.

To avert the largescale fraud witnessed in recent times, the government set up a payment gateway in the central bank on July 1 last year so that the e-commerce companies got their payments upon confirmation of receipt of goods by the end users.

Now, the DBID was introduced.

About Tk 2,500 crore is transacted through e-commerce platforms every day, according to State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

The government is developing three more platforms -- Central Complaints Management System, Central Logistic Tracking System, and an Interoperability Digital Transfer System -- to control irregularities, he said.

The three platforms will become operational within the next six months, Palak said, adding that five lakh people will be employed in this growing sector by 2025.

Small and female entrepreneurs would benefit from the new business identification as they are entering the sector in a big way, said Salman F Rahman, the prime minister's adviser on private industry and investment.

Entrepreneurs will have to obtain DBID certificates from the office of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies & Firms, said Shomi Kaiser, president of the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh, at the launch event.