Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba is pushing to expand the number of Bangladeshi companies selling products through its website, as it looks to drum up more business from the South Asian textile and clothing powerhouse, reports Nikkei Asia.
Alibaba is offering manufacturers from Bangladesh the chance to promote their merchandise to overseas buyers via its platform for an annual fee. It is particularly focused on small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), according to a proposal submitted to the Bangladeshi Commerce Ministry in Dhaka and seen by Nikkei Asia.
A wave of companies signing up to Alibaba from one of the world’s top garment producers would give the website a boost, while offering Bangladesh another channel to generate export earnings as it grapples with dwindling foreign currency reserves and a huge gap in its balance of payments.