Bangladesh making tremendous strides!
Bangladesh has been one of Asia’s most stunning and unexpected success economies in recent years. With a progressive social policy in place, Bangladesh has transformed from one of the poorest countries in Asia to an auspicious economy. Of the many factors accounting for this transformation, the online space has played a vital role. According to Statista, the Internet penetration rate has skyrocketed from 0.2% in 2005 to 12.1% of the total population in 2015. It now stands at a staggering 49%, which means 81.7 million people are connected to the Internet. Equally amazing, 46% of the population (76.22 million people) has access to the internet through mobile data.
Similarities to the ASEAN region with regards to social media usage are also being witnessed in Bangladesh. When looking at statistics on Internet World Stats, there are 30 million social media users in the region, of which 28 million are using social media via their smartphones. They are spending money online too; this amount is projected to increase in the coming years. A recent online publication on International Organisation of Scientific Research shows the E-Commerce sector growing at a rate of 300% in the last 3 years. There are an estimated 50000 people involved in E-Commerce at the moment, and this is projected to reach 1 million in the coming 10 years. The total expenditure is still relatively low; the large majority of E-Commerce shoppers are spending around US$60 per month. There are currently around 1000 E-Commerce shops in Bangladesh that have their own website.
Having a .Asia domain name allows you to connect your business or organisation with the ever-growing population of online users from various locales including Bangladesh, the ASEAN region and in the Indian subcontinent. One example in Bangladesh is MUV.Asia, which is an online taxi service using motorcycles that also provide courier and food delivery services to customers. For more details, you can visit their webpage which has links to install the application directly from there.
Bangladesh is a shining gem in Asian and proves how dynamic and digitally advanced the whole region is becoming.
This.Is.Asia Newsletter Issues
AAPI Heritage Month: Interview with Tommy Ho
Asian American heritage is about inclusion. It’s a description that cuts a wide cloth across a vast array of cultures and peoples, and it’s important to celebrate the similarities and differences. I see that diversity represented within GoDaddy’s Employee Resource Group (ERG), and GoDaddy Asians are growing. Especially during these unpredictable times, our sense of belonging that we feel through our groups help to boost mental and physical health.
AAPI Heritage Month: Interview with Jacqueline Daly
To me, AAPI Heritage Month is a great time to reflect and celebrate my Asian heritage and all the family traditions that have made my life so culturally rich. I am very proud to be an Asian American. I think this is a great opportunity for communities to come together and learn about our diverse stories through a more inclusive lens.
AAPI Heritage Month: Interview with Mou Mukherjee
In some ways, I abandoned my culture when I was young because I was trying so hard to fit in. My parents were, and still is very cultural. Growing up, there was always Indian music playing, our house was full of Bengali literature, my Dad’s hero was poet Rabindranath Tagore, and he also loved the films of Satyajit Ray. I was surrounded by culture and yet I couldn’t fully embrace it at the time.
AAPI Heritage Month: Interview with Zhou Fang
I am an immigrant from Guilin, China. In 2010, I moved to the U.S. for grad school. After graduating from Kansas State University (Go Cats!) I moved to Oregon and have been living in Portland for the last 9 years.





