Street vendors in Dhaka are popular for selling a wide range of goods at a lower price to customers, mostly from middle and low-income communities. They sell their products in makeshift shops set up on the sidewalks. This informal sector operates without approval from authorities. That is because, for any business in Bangladesh, one must obtain a trade license. A trade license is only provided if the applicant provides details of a bank account, office address, copy of utility bill, national identity card, e-TIN number, among other documents. A hawker, however, does not have an office address and usually does not have a bank account. Thus, they cannot obtain a trade license to run their business.
Street vendors in Dhaka are popular for selling a wide range of goods at a lower price to customers, mostly from middle and low-income communities. They sell their products in makeshift shops set up on the sidewalks. This informal sector operates without approval from authorities. That is because, for any business in Bangladesh, one must obtain a trade license. A trade license is only provided if the applicant provides details of a bank account, office address, copy of utility bill, national identity card, e-TIN number, among other documents. A hawker, however, does not have an office address and usually does not have a bank account. Thus, they cannot obtain a trade license to run their business.
