In Bangladesh, a growing number of women are launching online businesses through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. From fashion boutiques to home-based catering, the trend is reshaping traditional ideas of women’s work in urban Dhaka and beyond. The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) reports that over 15,000 new women-led digital businesses were registered in the last 18 months. Platforms like Daraz and Evaly are also helping small female-run businesses reach wider audiences.
Many of these women are homemakers, college students, or retired professionals who turned to digital entrepreneurship during the pandemic and continued as demand grew. The government’s Digital Bangladesh campaign and mobile banking tools like bKash have made it easier to accept payments and deliver goods across the country.
Experts from neighboring India and Nepal have praised this model as a scalable blueprint for inclusive digital economies. Women in cities like Kolkata and Kathmandu are now exploring similar paths, sharing resources via online forums. This growing wave is not just about income—it’s about empowerment, confidence, and rewriting gender roles in South Asia’s digital future.