The government will begin registering e-commerce and F-commerce firms within a month in a bid to restore discipline in the nascent industry and protect customers and merchants from unscrupulous business practices.

The commerce ministry has already finalised the draft of the registration form to provide a unique number to online e-commerce platforms. 

"We are trying to start the registration process as soon as possible," Hafizur Rahman, additional secretary of the ministry, told The Daily Star.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to start the registration within the next one month."

Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh said the registration form would be approved soon so that online firms could register quickly.

The companies that are currently running e-commerce operations in Bangladesh following registration with the Register of Joint Stock and Companies and Firms will also have to register with the commerce ministry.

The government has moved to introduce the unique number for the e-commerce as well Facebook-based digital commerce firms known as F-commerce after some digital platforms recently failed to deliver products to customers despite receiving advance payments months earlier.

Top officials of some e-commerce firms are facing charges ranging from funds embezzlement to money laundering, and some of them were sent to jail. Many have accumulated liabilities far beyond their assets, meaning they might not be able to refund their customers if they are liquidated.

The ministry's latest move aims to ensure that the firms don't get involved in any business practices that deceive customers and merchants.

In the new form, the applicants will have to disclose details like the time when they started businesses and their transactions.

Besides, the details about the website, contact number, and national identification card number have to be cited in the form. The applicants will have to fill in the form online.

According to an estimate of the commerce ministry, there are 2,500 e-commerce and more than 2.5 lakh F-commerce platforms operating in Bangladesh.

"Primarily, we will make the registration free of cost. If necessary, we may charge a fee in the future," said Rahman, also the chief of the Central Digital Commerce Cell of the commerce ministry.

When asked whether it would be possible to register all the e-commerce and F-commerce platforms under one umbrella, Rahman replied: "This is just the beginning."

"In future, a separate cell may be created or a dedicated office of the commerce ministry might be set up to oversee the registration and monitor the activities of the registered firms."

The registration process is expected to enhance transparency and ensure the accountability of the ministry, other government departments or agencies, and the e-commerce firms.

After the latest anomalies in the burgeoning e-commerce sector emerged, the government has taken a lot of initiatives to discipline errant e-commerce companies and restore customers' confidence in the sector.

The commerce ministry has set up a 16-member high-powered committee, which has been given the task to make recommendations to formulate a policy for the sector, form an e-commerce authority and amend laws to make the e-commerce business more responsible.

The committee formed a nine-member sub-committee on Tuesday to suggest whether a new law is required to run the sector or existing laws are adequate to regulate it. The sub-committee will have to submit its report in a month.

Recently, the commerce ministry has identified 10 errant e-commerce companies found to be involved in fraudulent business practices aimed at deceiving consumers and merchants.