Written by The Banking Post
The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority has signed memorandums of understanding with 11 service-providing institutions to further expand its One Stop Service (OSS) platform, aiming to make investment-related services faster, simpler and more transparent.
The agreements, signed on Monday, cover four banks and seven city corporations. The banks are Rupali Bank, Dhaka Bank, Bank Asia and Bengal Commercial Bank, while the city corporations include Rajshahi, Khulna, Mymensingh, Barishal, Cumilla, Gazipur and Narayanganj.
Under the MoUs, the partner institutions will integrate their systems with BIDA’s online OSS portal. This will allow investors to access services such as bank account opening, trade licence issuance and other financial and municipal services through a single digital platform.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said the authority is working to create a system where entrepreneurs—from small businesses to large industrial groups—can obtain all required government services using one website and a single login.
“We want to move away from submitting the same information repeatedly to multiple offices. Countries that attract high levels of investment ensure data integrity across government agencies so information can be shared once it is submitted,” he said.
He acknowledged that full digital integration will take time but said progress is being made with strong commitment. He also stressed that effective implementation matters as much as launching platforms, calling for continuous monitoring, investor feedback and service improvements.
With the latest additions, BIDA has now signed MoUs with 52 institutions. At present, 142 services from 47 agencies are available through the OSS portal.
Since its launch in February 2019 under the One Stop Service Act, the platform has processed more than 215,000 applications. BIDA said services from more institutions will be integrated in the coming months as part of efforts to further improve the investment climate.
