AI by country · South Asia
AI in Bangladesh: the rules, the readiness and where to start
What should a company in Bangladesh know before starting with AI?
Bangladesh has a data protection law, the Personal Data Protection Act, 2026, but no AI law. The national AI policy is still a draft, so the data law is the main rule to plan around. Most of it is already treated as in force.
At a glance
Bangladesh at a glance
| Data protection law | Personal Data Protection Act, 2026 (Act 63 of 2026, 10 April 2026). Mostly in force; sections 23 and 31 to 35 wait for a start date |
|---|---|
| Regulator | National Data Management Authority (set up under the National Data Management Act, 2026) |
| AI policy | National AI Policy 2026-2030, Draft V2.0. No AI law as of 26 October 2026 |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (30 minutes ahead of India) |
| Currency | BDT (taka) |
| Business language | Bangla and English |
Why now
Why Bangladesh is worth watching
Ready-made garments earned about $38.7 billion of Bangladesh's $48.0 billion exports in the year to June 2026, roughly four-fifths of the total (our division of the two published figures).[6]
Mobile financial services handled 678.63 million transactions worth Tk 1.58 trillion in October 2025, and that total leaves out Nagad, which had not reported since March 2025.[7]
Nearly 500 BASIS member firms took part in exports in 2024-25, about 300 of them regularly, and BASIS members now export to more than 104 countries.[8]
Bangladesh ranked 75th in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025, and a UNESCO readiness assessment in November 2025 listed 15 priority actions.[3]
On 28 June 2026 Bangladesh Bank told its own staff never to enter confidential banking information into AI tools, citing the risk of data leaving the country.[5]
The rules
The rules that matter for AI
Personal Data Protection Act, 2026 (Act 63 of 2026)
National AI Policy 2026-2030 (Draft V2.0)
Where AI fits first
Where AI fits first
Ready-made garments
Reading buyer orders, compliance papers and inspection reports, and forecasting orders from past data.
Staff data such as fingerprints for attendance is covered by the Act, which names biometric data in its cross-border rule. Export figures come from provisional Export Promotion Bureau data.[6]
Banking and mobile financial services
Customer service in Bangla, document checks and flagging odd transactions for a person to review.
Financial data is a defined category in the Act. Bangladesh Bank's June 2026 order bars its staff from putting confidential data into AI tools. We did not find a published AI rule for commercial banks.[5]
IT and outsourcing
Adding AI features to services sold abroad, such as support triage and document processing.
The Act also reaches processing outside Bangladesh when it relates to people in Bangladesh.[1]
Your first steps
Your first steps
- List the personal data you hold and mark what is sensitive, such as biometric, financial or health data.
- Rewrite consent wording so each purpose is specific, and add a simple way to withdraw consent, including for automated decisions.
- Check whether any customer data leaves Bangladesh, including to cloud and AI vendors, and record why.
- Decide who will report a breach and how, then watch for the Authority's breach regulations.
- Write a rule against pasting confidential data into public AI tools, as Bangladesh Bank did for its own staff.
- Start with one small, low-risk use case where a person still reviews the result.
- Ask a Bangladeshi lawyer whether you count as a significant data fiduciary, which brings extra duties.
How we work with you
How we work with you
We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Bangladesh is UTC+6 and India is UTC+5:30, so a 9:30 to 18:30 India day is 10:00 to 19:00 in Dhaka. That gives about nine hours of shared working time on a normal day.
Questions
Common questions about AI in Bangladesh
Is the Personal Data Protection Act already in force?
Mostly. The Act says it is treated as in force from 6 November 2025, except section 23 and sections 31 to 35. Those start on a date the government sets by notice, after 18 months from issue. We found no notice yet.
Who enforces it?
The National Data Management Authority, created under the National Data Management Act, 2026. Appeals against its fines go to the tribunal set up under the ICT Act within 30 days.
Is there a law that regulates AI itself?
No. The National AI Policy 2026-2030 is a draft, and we found no sign of final adoption as of 26 October 2026.
Can we send customer data to an overseas AI service?
Possibly. The Act allows transfers abroad with consent, under a contract with the person, or for the person's own business or education matters. Regulations will name which places qualify, and large transfers of sensitive identifiable data must be notified.
What are the penalties?
Failing to honour a person's rights, or to protect their data, can bring a fine of up to Tk 25 lakh. For ignoring a person's rights, significant data fiduciaries face up to Tk 50 lakh. Repeat offences can be fined more.
Free tools
Try these first
AI readiness score
Read next
Sources
Sources
- [1] Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, 2026-04-10. Personal Data Protection Act, 2026 (Act 63 of 2026), Bangla text on Ban…(bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd)
Full title and what we used it for
Personal Data Protection Act, 2026 (Act 63 of 2026), Bangla text on Bangladesh Laws. Primary source. Read in Bangla. Used for the date, commencement (section 1), scope, consent (5), breach (20), cross-border (29), fines (32, 33), appeal (37), repeal of the 2025 and 2026 ordinances (44) and the Authority definition.
- [2] Levellers AI, 2026-06-06. AI regulation in Bangladesh explained(levellers.ai)
Full title and what we used it for
AI regulation in Bangladesh explained. Secondary. Used for draft AI policy status (draft, consultation closed, no final policy posted as of 6 June 2026) and the absence of an AI Act. Not used for data law details.
- [3] Policy Magazine, 2026-01-28. Bangladesh's AI Moment: Testing the Implementation Gap(policymagazine.ca)
Full title and what we used it for
Bangladesh's AI Moment: Testing the Implementation Gap. Secondary commentary. Used for the draft policy's risk tiers and oversight committee, the Oxford Insights 2025 ranking and the UNESCO assessment.
- [4] kelkalot/every-ai-policy-ever (GitHub), 2026-10-18. BD-01 Bangladesh National AI Policy 2026-2030 (draft): open question(github.com)
Full title and what we used it for
BD-01 Bangladesh National AI Policy 2026-2030 (draft): open question. Secondary tracker. Used only to show that no adoption of the AI policy had been found by mid October 2026. It could not itself open the official site.
- [5] The Business Standard (TBS), 2026-07-03. Don't use confidential data in AI tools: Bangladesh Bank(tbsnews.net)
Full title and what we used it for
Don't use confidential data in AI tools: Bangladesh Bank. News report of Bangladesh Bank's office order of 28 June 2026 to its own staff.
- [6] UNB News, citing Export Promotion Bureau provisional data, 2026-07-02. June exports surge by 25.91%, FY26 earnings hold steady at $48 billion(unb.com.bd)
Full title and what we used it for
June exports surge by 25.91%, FY26 earnings hold steady at $48 billion. Total exports $48,001.91 million and RMG $38,701.15 million for FY2025-26. The four-fifths share is our own division of these numbers.
- [7] The Financial Express (Bangladesh), citing Bangladesh Bank data, 2026-01-03. MFS transactions maintain rising trend in Oct 25(thefinancialexpress.com.bd)
Full title and what we used it for
MFS transactions maintain rising trend in Oct 25. October 2025 transaction count and value, and the Nagad reporting gap.
- [8] The Financial Express (Bangladesh), 2026-01-29. BASIS honours top 10 IT, ITES exporters for FY25(thefinancialexpress.com.bd)
Full title and what we used it for
BASIS honours top 10 IT, ITES exporters for FY25. Exporter counts and number of countries, as stated by speakers at the BASIS event.
- [9] ICT Division, Government of Bangladesh (aipolicy.gov.bd), 2026-02-09. National AI Policy Bangladesh 2026-2030, Draft V2.0 (9 February 2026)(aipolicy.gov.bd)
Full title and what we used it for
National AI Policy Bangladesh 2026-2030, Draft V2.0 (9 February 2026). Official location of the draft. Our fetch failed because the site's security certificate has expired, so we did not rely on its text. Title and date come from search listings and secondary sources.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and the Act's Bangla text is the authoritative version, so check with a qualified Bangladeshi lawyer before you act. We read the Act in Bangla and checked other facts on 26 October 2026.
Starting with AI in Bangladesh?
Talk to an engineer. The first call is free, and we start with a readiness assessment before any budget is committed.
