Meta Considers Opening Dhaka Office: Bangladesh Is 8th Largest Facebook User Base

Dhaka, September 25, 2026 — Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads — is interested in opening an office in Dhaka and will review when and how it could establish a local presence in Bangladesh, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said at a press conference at Bangladesh's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on September 22.

🌐 The announcement marks a significant development in Bangladesh's relationship with one of the world's largest technology companies — and reflects the growing strategic importance of Bangladesh's digital economy.

💬 State Minister's Statement

💬 “There has been a very good meeting with Meta. We had a very good discussion about opening an office in Dhaka, and they are interested,” Shama Obaed said.

Shama said Meta was interested in establishing a focal point in Dhaka, as Bangladesh has a large Facebook user base.

💬 “Bangladesh is the eighth-largest Facebook user,” she said.

💼 Discussion Topics

The meeting between the Bangladesh government delegation and Meta representatives covered several key areas:

• 📜 Bangladesh's new Cyber Security Act — and ways Meta could work with the government on issues related to digital safety.
• 🛒 E-commerce expansion — Meta expressed interest in supporting the expansion of e-commerce and online businesses in Bangladesh.
• 🎓 Educational institutions — the company wants to work with educational institutions in Bangladesh.
• 🚫 Digital harassment — a key issue discussed during the meeting, with focus on how Meta can help reduce digital harassment.

💬 On E-Commerce And Online Business

💬 “Our e-commerce and online businesses—Meta will cooperate in expanding these,” Shama said.

This cooperation could have significant implications for Bangladesh's rapidly growing digital economy, where Facebook and Instagram are widely used by small businesses for marketing and customer engagement.

💬 On Digital Harassment

Digital harassment was another key issue discussed during the meeting, according to the state minister.

💬 “We talked about the digital harassment that is happening in different ways—not only in Bangladesh, but in different places—and how Meta can help reduce digital harassment in the social context of Bangladesh and work with the government and different government agencies,” she said.

💬 Meta's Appreciation Of Government's Tech Focus

Shama said Meta representatives had also appreciated the government's emphasis on e-commerce and technology in the current national budget.

She said the company was “very much interested” in working closely with the Bangladesh team in the future.

💬 “They will review when and how they will open an office in Dhaka,” she said.

🌐 Bangladesh's Facebook User Base

Bangladesh's position as the 8th largest Facebook user base globally is a significant statistic:

• 🌐 Estimated Facebook users in Bangladesh: approximately 50-60 million.
• 🌐 Internet penetration: approximately 65-70 per cent of the population.
• 🌐 Mobile internet users: over 130 million.
• 🌐 WhatsApp users: tens of millions — making WhatsApp the most popular messaging app in Bangladesh.
• 🌐 Instagram users: growing rapidly, particularly among urban youth.

The scale of Bangladesh's Facebook user base makes it a strategically important market for Meta — justifying the company's interest in establishing a local presence.

🏢 Why A Meta Office In Dhaka Matters

A Meta office in Dhaka would have several significant implications:

• 💼 Government liaison — providing a direct point of contact for regulatory and policy engagement.
• 💼 Content moderation — with local staff better positioned to understand Bangla-language content and cultural context.
• 💼 Business development — supporting local advertisers, SMEs, and content creators.
• 💼 Safety and security — with dedicated resources for addressing digital harassment, misinformation, and harmful content.
• 💼 Partnerships — with local educational institutions, NGOs, and government agencies.
• 💼 Job creation — with technology, policy, and operations roles based in Dhaka.
• 💼 Talent development — through training programmes and partnerships with Bangladeshi tech professionals.

📜 The Cyber Security Act Context

The meeting's discussion of Bangladesh's Cyber Security Act is particularly significant. The Act — which replaced the controversial Digital Security Act — has been a subject of significant domestic and international debate regarding:

• ⚖ Freedom of expression — with concerns about provisions that could be used to restrict legitimate speech.
• ⚖ Journalist protection — with media organisations calling for stronger safeguards.
• ⚖ Government's security concerns — including cybercrime, misinformation, and digital threats.
• ⚖ International tech company compliance — with platforms like Meta needing to navigate the Act's requirements.

Meta's engagement with the Bangladesh government on the Cyber Security Act could help shape how the Act is implemented in practice — particularly regarding content takedown requests, user data access, and platform liability.

🛒 E-Commerce And Digital Business Implications

Meta's interest in supporting e-commerce expansion could benefit Bangladesh's growing digital economy:

• 🛒 Facebook Marketplace — widely used by Bangladeshi small businesses for selling products.
• 🛒 Instagram Shopping — growing in popularity among fashion and lifestyle brands.
• 🛒 WhatsApp Business — used by thousands of Bangladeshi SMEs for customer communication.
• 🛒 Facebook Ads — a major digital advertising channel for Bangladeshi businesses.
• 🛒 f-commerce (Facebook commerce) — a uniquely Bangladeshi phenomenon where entrepreneurs run businesses entirely through Facebook pages.

Bangladesh's f-commerce sector — estimated to involve hundreds of thousands of small businesses — would particularly benefit from Meta's enhanced local support.

🌏 Regional Context: Meta's Presence In South Asia

Meta's potential Dhaka office would join its existing South Asian presence:

• 🇮🇳 India — Meta has its largest global office outside the US in Hyderabad, with significant operations in Mumbai, Gurgaon, and Bangalore.
• 🇵🇰 Pakistan — Meta has a smaller presence, primarily through policy and partnerships teams.
• 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka — covered through Meta's regional team.
• 🇳🇵 Nepal — covered through Meta's regional team.

Bangladesh — despite being the 8th largest Facebook market — has so far not had a dedicated Meta office, making this potential development particularly significant.

💼 Wider Strategic Implications

For Bangladesh's broader digital strategy, Meta's interest in opening a Dhaka office signals:

• 🌏 Recognition of Bangladesh as a major digital market — worthy of dedicated investment.
• 🌏 Government's willingness to engage with global tech companies — on regulatory and policy issues.
• 🌏 Convergence of economic and diplomatic engagement — with the Meta meeting taking place at UNGA.
• 🌏 Potential for further tech company interest — with other global platforms potentially following Meta's lead.

📜 Looking Ahead

The State Minister's statement that Meta “will review when and how they will open an office in Dhaka” suggests the decision is not yet final — but the company's interest is clear.

The timeline for an actual office opening will depend on:

• 📝 Internal Meta review — of the business case and operational requirements.
• 📝 Regulatory approvals — from Bangladesh's investment authority and other agencies.
• 📝 Office location and staffing — identifying suitable premises and recruiting local talent.
• 📝 Operational setup — including legal entity registration, tax compliance, and corporate governance.

For Bangladesh's digital economy, a Meta office would be a significant milestone — providing local businesses, content creators, and users with more direct access to one of the world's most important technology platforms. It would also reinforce Bangladesh's positioning as a strategically important digital market in South Asia — capable of attracting investment from the world's leading technology companies.

The coming months will reveal whether Meta's interest translates into an actual office opening — and what form that presence will take. For now, the announcement itself represents meaningful progress in Bangladesh's engagement with the global technology ecosystem.