Bijon Islam Discusses the Impact of Covid-19 on Micro-merchants in Bangladesh

Bijon Islam, Co-founder, and CEO of LightCastle Partners, recently attended a session titled “Agility and Resilience of Small businesses amidst and after the Pandemic,” held on the 23rd March 2021 at The Westin, Dhaka. Notable experts also joined the session, which was moderated by Malik Kotadia, Co-founder and Global Board Chairman of GIFT Forum.

In the session, Bijon Islam highlighted the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the micro-merchants and discussed the key issues and hurdles they are faced with during the global crisis. He further elaborated on how the merchants have navigated through the challenges and the role of digitization in helping to develop a more sustainable structure.

This plenary was a part of multiple panel discussions, investment pitches, and keynote featured in the one-day conference titled, “Leaving no micro-merchants behind in the digital era in Bangladesh” organized and facilitated by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The conference, moderated by Maria Perdomo, Regional Manager of a digital hub for Asia and inclusive digital economies of the UNCDF, showcased the lessons and market insights derived from the Merchants Development Driving Rural Markets (MDDRM) project, which has been implemented since 2017 in Bangladesh, by UNCDF with support of the European Union and in partnership with DNet, Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (BDMS), and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI). Maurizio Cian, head of cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, and Sudipto Mukherjee, resident representative of UNDP Bangladesh, were present as guests of honor for the event.

Watch the webinar here.

The conference was also featured in The Daily Star here.

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