Expanding Business Opportunities for the South Asian Textile and Clothing Industry.

Alibaba plans to expand the number of Bangladeshi companies selling products through its website, hoping to increase business from the South Asian textile and clothing industry. The Chinese e-commerce giant is offering an annual fee to manufacturers from Bangladesh to promote their merchandise to overseas buyers via its platform, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises. 

Alibaba has been operating in Bangladesh for two decades but only has 160 companies supplying products through its platform, compared to 3,000 in neighbouring India and Pakistan. Alibaba's proposal includes creating a "Made in Bangladesh" page on its website to showcase goods from the country. Despite concerns over the annual fee, many SME representatives welcomed the proposal. 

With the expansion of Alibaba, Bangladesh has the opportunity to generate more export earnings, ultimately enhancing the country's business image.