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The Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) Project under the Ministry of Commerce, with support from the World Bank, formally launched the Market Intelligence Platform (MIP): a one-stop digital hub designed to equip Bangladeshi exporters with real-time data, global buyer insights, and actionable market intelligence.
The platform was inaugurated by Mr. Mahbubur Rahman, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, at a ceremony held in Dhaka.
The launch event was attended by government officials, industry association leaders, international buyers, development partners, and private sector representatives.
Developed through a consortium led by LightCastle Partners, along with Shooting Star Ltd. and NKSoft Corporation, the Market Intelligence Platform marks a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s journey toward export diversification and competitiveness beyond RMG.
In his keynote address, Mr. Bijon Islam, CEO of LightCastle Partners and Chief Consultant for the MIP development, emphasized that Bangladesh’s next frontier of export growth will be shaped by intelligence, not intuition.
“To compete globally, we must empower locally.
The MIP gives exporters the data, clarity, and confidence they need to make informed decisions—bridging the gap between ambition and execution.”
— Bijon Islam, CEO, LightCastle Partners
The MIP enables businesses to:
It focuses on four priority sectors under EC4J: Leather and Leather Goods, Footwear, Plastics, and Light Engineering.
Speaking at the event, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman highlighted the urgency of innovation and technological adoption to remain competitive:
“With the launch of the Market Intelligence Platform, we are putting actionable data into the hands of our exporters, especially SMEs, so they can compete with confidence in global markets.”
Additional Secretary and EC4J Project Director, Mr. Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, presented the platform overview and its role in advancing Bangladesh’s trade capabilities.
Representatives from industry including BPGMEA, BFLLFEA, and BEIOA reinforced the need for reliable information access to strengthen engagements between global buyers and local producers.
Ms. Hosna Ferdous Sumi, Senior Private Sector Specialist and EC4J Task Team Leader at the World Bank, noted:
“Our vision is to enable a future where exporters no longer guess but grow, powered by data, insights, and meaningful linkages.”
The launch concluded with a high-level panel discussion titled “Accelerating Bangladesh’s Export Diversification.”
Over 120 participants, including BIDA, the World Bank, industry associations, and large corporates, took part.
The discussion focused on public-private collaboration, technology-driven export development, emerging global opportunities and policy frameworks to broaden Bangladesh’s export base.
A key highlight was the untapped potential of the $10 trillion global packaging market, underscoring opportunities far beyond traditional export sectors.
As a long-standing partner of the EC4J project, LightCastle Partners led the strategic research, platform architecture, data structuring, and market intelligence design behind the MIP.
The platform reflects LightCastle’s broader mission:
To bridge information asymmetry, modernize global market integration, and build competitive, resilient Bangladeshi enterprises.
With the launch of exportbangladesh.org, Bangladesh now takes a decisive step toward creating a smarter, more connected, and more diversified export future.
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