The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), a wing of the central bank, has summoned the bank accounts of 30 e-commerce companies including Daraj, Alesha Mart, Evaly and e-Orange. The BFIU has recently asked banks for detailed bank information of accounts including their transactions. A form has also been provided to send the information along with the BFIU letter. Also read: BFIU seeks Dr. Yunus’ bank account details The companies have been asked to provide the bank branch name, account name, number, type and date of opening, total deposit and withdrawal and current status of the bank where the transaction before this. Earlier bank accounts of these e-commerce companies were summoned and frozen at different times.  Banks asked to report whether the account is active or closed. Also read: BFIU seeks bank account details of 23 e-commerce platforms Also on the bank account summons list are: Q Coom, Aladdin's Lamp, Boom Boom, Priyoshop, Dhamaka Shopping, Sirajganj Shop, Adian Mart, Walmart, Needs, Dalal Plus, 24 Ticketi, Thole, We Com, Infinity Marketing, Anand Bazar, Akash Nil. Bright Hash, Annex World Wide, Amar Bazzar, Astar Protik, Bangladesh Deal, Bari Dukan.com, Sreshdo.com, Ames BD, Nirapad and Alif World. Many of these companies’ bank accounts have already been frozen. Earlier, Bangladesh Bank and intelligence agencies have taken information of transactions of e-commerce companies at different times. Read BB asks banks to cut tax on service value of non-resident nationals

E-commerce companies will have to get registered online filling out a prescribed format prepared by the ministry of commerce to do business. The ministry is now working on how to register all the e-commerce companies through an online system so that the service becomes hassle free but smart, AHM Safiquzzaman, additional secretary of the Commerce Ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. On October 12, the government formed a committee with Safiquzzaman as its chairman to monitor e-commerce companies and recommend what needs to be done to protect the rights of consumers. The committee sat in its first meeting on Monday and its second meeting is scheduled to be held next week, sources said. Read: Recommendations to recover scammed e-commerce money within a month The committee will have to submit a report before the cabinet division within one month as per the deadline set in the working paper. According to the sources, the committee will recommend the method of transparent financial transactions of e-commerce companies and how to bring them under VAT and Income Tax network. The instructions that will come from the cabinet department will be implemented later. Read: E-commerce Scams: Ways to Protect Your Investment from Online Frauds “The committee has jurisdiction over the method of recovering money and assets. The Cabinet Division will decide whether an administrator will be appointed or not,” Safiquzzaman said. The Cabinet Division, Information and Communication Technology Division, Financial Institutions Division, Bangladesh Bank, Police, Defence Intelligence Directorate, National Security Intelligence Agency, Special Branch of Police, BFIU, NBR, National Telecommunication Monitoring Center, Police Criminal Investigation Division, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) are working together to set up a standard system of e-commerce business.