NEW YORK, Sept. 22 — Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has expressed interest in opening an office in Dhaka, considering Bangladesh’s large Facebook user base and online business potential. The U.S. technology company has also shown interest in working with Bangladesh on expanding e-commerce and online business and on cybersecurity.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid disclosed the information Tuesday at a press conference at Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
The press conference was held on Prime Minister Tareque Rahman’s first-day programs in New York, including his participation in the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly. Obaid said Bangladesh held a highly fruitful discussion with Meta. Prime Minister Tareque Rahman was scheduled to attend the meeting but could not do so because of scheduling. High-level representatives joined the talks on Bangladesh’s behalf.
Discussing Meta’s possible Dhaka office, the state minister said the company was highly interested in opening an office in Bangladesh. The idea of developing Dhaka as an important center for its operations came up in the discussion, she said.
Bangladesh’s large Facebook user base was also discussed as one reason for Meta’s interest. According to various digital statistics, Bangladesh had more than 7 crore 51 lakh estimated Facebook users in August 2026. However, the figures come from Meta’s advertising-based statistics and should not be treated as the number of actual active users.
The meeting also discussed various policy issues in the digital sector, including Bangladesh’s cybersecurity law. The two sides exchanged views on possible Meta cooperation in expanding e-commerce, online business and the digital economy.
As part of expanding operations in Bangladesh, Meta recently introduced payment facilities for local businesses. Bangladeshi businesses can now pay for ads on Meta platforms through local payment systems such as bKash. The move is expanding access to digital advertising for small and medium businesses.
Meta and LightCastle Partners also recently held an event in Dhaka on artificial intelligence and digital technology. The event highlighted training for small and medium businesses in digital marketing and AI-based business tools.
Under Meta’s Small Business Growth Academy, work is also under way to train more than one thousand small and medium businesses in Bangladesh.
Obaid said Bangladesh’s large number of social media users and rapidly expanding online business market could create new areas of cooperation with Meta. She said such cooperation could play an important role in digital commerce, entrepreneurship development, online safety and technology-based employment.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report