FBCCI to rebuild trust in e-commerce sector

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries has said it will work on restoring confidence in e-commerce sector that has been tarnished by some recent sporadic incidents.

At its first meeting on Thursday, the FBCCI Standing Committee on E-Commerce made the pledge of overcoming the situation and creating new entrepreneurs.

Shomi Kaiser, director in charge of the committee and president of E-Cab, said in order to overcome the present crisis, the Ministry of Commerce will provide unique identification numbers for e-commerce companies.

A Complaints Management Cell will also be formed soon under the supervision of the directorate of national consumer Rights Protection. All these initiatives will soon regain consumers’ trust in e-commerce, added Shomi Kaiser.

She mentioned that a roadmap for one year would be drawn up by the standing committee for the development of the overall e-commerce ecosystem.

Speaking as the chief guest at the meeting, FBCCI president Md Jashim Uddin said in order to create sustainable e-commerce, entrepreneurs in this sector must ensure institutional transparency and accountability and compliance.

FBCCI senior vice-president Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu suggested that specific policies be formulated to restore confidence in e-commerce.

While presiding over the meeting, Chairman of the Standing Committee TIM Nurul Kabir said lack of bank loans, poor penetration of cards, excessive reliance on cash on delivery and absence of cross-border e-commerce policies are some major challenges facing the business.

In the open discussion, the co-chairmen and members of the committee complained that the Ministry of Commerce has not yet made the digital commerce cell fully functional and also it is yet to fix who will monitor the SOP in E-commerce.

The speakers demanded tax relaxation till 2030 and inclusion of e-commerce in government procurement till 2030, said a press release issued by the FBCCI.

FBCCI Director Amzad Hussain, Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque, Standing Committee Co-Chairmen Mohammad Abdul Haque, Mohammad Sahab Uddin, Mostafizur Rahman Sohel, Zia Ashraf, and M Rashidul Hasan, among others, were present at the meeting.