Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum - BIGF

What Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum - BIGF does

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) is a non-profit, multistakeholder forum established in 2006 in conjunction with the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It operates as Bangladesh's officially recognized National and Regional Initiative (NRI) under the UN IGF process, convening government institutions, civil society, academia, the private sector, the technical community, and youth, women, and children's groups for dialogue on internet governance issues including cybersecurity, data privacy, digital rights, universal access, and AI governance. The organization delivers an annual flagship forum (the 20th edition held in October-November 2025 in Dhaka under the theme 'Building Digital Governance in Global South'), along with Universal Acceptance Day observances, workshops, and a distributed network of eight affiliated community forums (Bangladesh School of Internet Governance, Youth IGF, Kids IGF, Women IGF, Academia IGF, Teacher IGF, Lawyer IGF, and Technical IGF).

BIGF's business model is non-commercial. All events and programs are offered free of charge to participants; the organization does not sell products or services and discloses no revenue figures. Operations are funded and supported through formal MoUs and partnerships with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), A2i (Access to Information Program under ICT Division), ISOC Bangladesh Chapter, and American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), alongside institutional affiliations with ICANN, the UN IGF Secretariat, and IGFSA. The leadership is an Executive Committee (2024-2026) chaired by Mohammad Aminul Hakim, with the Secretary General Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, embedding representatives from government, civil society, private sector, and international organizations. The organization has no proprietary technology platform or product surface; its 'technology' consists of facilitating in-person and hybrid convenings, publishing program reports, and maintaining a website and social channels for outreach.

BIGF is not a venture-investable asset in the conventional sense — it is a policy and convening organization whose value lies in institutional standing, multistakeholder convening authority, and community ecosystem breadth rather than in commercial scalability or proprietary technology.

Name

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum - BIGF

Legal name

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum

Website

https://bangladeshigf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) is a non-profit, multistakeholder forum established in 2006 and affiliated with the UN IGF, convening government, civil society, academia, private sector, and youth/women/technical communities in Bangladesh for annual internet-governance dialogues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Governance Forum / Policy Dialogue

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAAAE

Government Digital Service & eGovernment (Service Delivery, IDs, Portals)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Central/Federal Government Administration

Keywords

• Internet governance forum
• Multistakeholder policy dialogue
• Digital rights advocacy
• Cybersecurity awareness
• Capacity building workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. No commercial revenue model: BIGF is a non-profit, multistakeholder forum affiliated with the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. It does not sell products or services for commercial revenue. Its activities — including annual forums, workshops, and training — are supported through partnerships with government bodies (BTRC), public institutions (A2i), international organizations (ICANN, UN IGF Secretariat), and membership in IGFSA. The organization does not disclose revenue figures or funding sources in its public-facing materials.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) is a non-profit multistakeholder organization that convenes annual internet governance forums, workshops, and training programs in Bangladesh. Operating as Bangladesh's official National and Regional Initiative (NRI) under the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, BIGF facilitates dialogue among government, civil society, academia, private sector, technical community, youth, women, and children on internet policy issues including cybersecurity, data privacy, digital inclusion, universal acceptance, and AI governance.

Product overview

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) is a multistakeholder platform organization established in 2006 in conjunction with the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. BIGF does not offer commercial software products; instead, it organizes annual internet governance forums, workshops, training programs, and community initiatives. Its activities include hosting the annual Bangladesh IGF conference, Bangladesh Universal Acceptance (UA) Day events, and managing various thematic community forums including Bangladesh School of Internet Governance (bdSIG), Bangladesh Kids IGF, Bangladesh Youth IGF, Bangladesh Women IGF, Bangladesh Academia IGF, Bangladesh Teacher IGF, and Bangladesh Lawyer IGF.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) A multiday annual forum (3-day, 10-session format in 2025) that gathers leaders and representatives from government, civil society, academia, and the private sector to discuss internet governance themes such as digital trust, sustainable innovation, universal access, and digital cooperation. Open registration for stakeholders in Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh Universal Acceptance (UA) Day An observance day event to promote universal acceptance of multilingual domain names and email addresses, particularly Bangla-script IDNs and EAIs, with BTRC and ICANN participation. Over 100 participants in the 2025 edition.
• Bangladesh School of Internet Governance (bdSIG) A capacity-building training school affiliated with BIGF that equips emerging internet governance stakeholders with foundational knowledge of internet policy, governance principles, and best practices.
• Bangladesh Youth Internet Governance Forum A community forum engaging young Bangladeshis in internet governance through dedicated sessions, capacity-building, and youth representation in national delegations to international IGF events.
• Bangladesh Women Internet Governance Forum A community forum engaging women in internet governance, addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence, women's digital rights, and gender-inclusive digital policy.
• Bangladesh Kids Internet Governance Forum A community forum for children focused on child-safe internet use, digital citizenship, and intergenerational digital literacy programs.
• Bangladesh Academia Internet Governance Forum A community forum engaging universities, researchers, and students in internet governance research, academic conferences, and policy publications.
• Bangladesh Technical Internet Governance Forum A community forum engaging technical experts, cybersecurity professionals, IT auditors, and system administrators in technical internet governance discussions and cybersecurity workshops.
• Bangladesh Teacher Internet Governance Forum A community forum engaging teachers in internet governance education, digital literacy, and curriculum development.
• Bangladesh Lawyer Internet Governance Forum A community forum engaging legal professionals in internet law, digital rights jurisprudence, and legal policy discussions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18th Bangladesh IGF 2023: 353 total participants across 8 sessions and 2 workshops with 53 local and 3 international speakers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) - Department of Journalism and Mass CommunicationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2026BIGF and AIUB signed a memorandum of understanding in July 2026 to strengthen research, policy advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity development, and multistakeholder participation in Internet and digital governance. The collaboration includes joint research activities, policy dialogues, awareness programs, training initiatives, and stakeholder consultations involving students, researchers, journalists, policymakers, and technical experts. The agreement was signed by Professor Dr. Pradip Kumar Panday (AIUB) and Mohammad Abdul Haque (BIGF).
• A2i (Access to Information Program), ICT Division, Government of BangladeshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIGF has an MoU with A2i, a flagship program under the ICT Division of the Government of Bangladesh. The partnership focuses on promoting digital inclusion and accessibility for marginalized communities, enhancing e-governance initiatives, conducting capacity-building programs and awareness campaigns on internet governance, and supporting research and policy development for a Smart Bangladesh.
• BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIGF has an MoU with BTRC to create a fair, transparent, and sustainable regulatory environment for the internet and telecommunications sector. The collaboration aims to strengthen cybersecurity frameworks, promote responsible internet usage and digital literacy, ensure fair internet regulations, and address challenges related to data protection and online privacy.
• ISOC Bangladesh Chapter (Internet Society Bangladesh Chapter)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIGF collaborates with ISOC Bangladesh Chapter to promote an open and secure internet through community engagement and policy discussions. Areas of cooperation include advocating for internet freedom, security, and privacy rights; conducting workshops and seminars on emerging internet governance issues; supporting open internet standards; and facilitating inclusive internet policy-making.
• ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICANN is a key international partner in BIGF's activities. ICANN's Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement and Managing Director for Asia Pacific (Samiran Gupta) and ICANN Board Director (Sajid Rahman) participate in BIGF events including Bangladesh UA Day. ICANN provides technical expertise on domain name systems, universal acceptance, IDNs, and email address internationalization, supporting BIGF's alignment with global internet governance standards.
• United Nations Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIGF is Bangladesh's official National IGF (NRI — National and Regional Initiative), affiliated with the UN Internet Governance Forum. The UN IGF Secretariat, through its Programme Management Officer (Anja Gengo), participates in BIGF's annual closing sessions. This affiliation provides BIGF with legitimacy, global network access, and alignment with international internet governance frameworks and best practices.
• IGFSA (Internet Governance Forum Support Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIGFSA was created in 2014 to provide financial and strategic support to the IGF and national/regional IGF initiatives. BIGF's membership in IGFSA provides financial and technical assistance for organizing national and regional internet governance discussions, capacity-building, outreach, and participation of underrepresented communities. IGFSA membership enhances Bangladesh's representation in global internet governance forums.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Kenya Internet Governance Forum (Kenya IGF): Kenya's national IGF convening multistakeholder dialogue on internet governance, digital rights, and emerging technologies. Directly comparable to BIGF as an African national forum under the same UN IGF umbrella, though serving a different continent with distinct regulatory context.
• Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (Nigeria IGF): Nigeria's national multistakeholder internet governance forum under the UN IGF framework. Comparable in operating model to BIGF — annual flagship event, multistakeholder participation, focus on cybersecurity and digital inclusion — though operating in West Africa rather than South Asia.
• European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG): Regional multistakeholder forum for internet governance dialogue in Europe, operating under the same UN IGF umbrella as BIGF. Comparable convening model, annual event cadence, and stakeholder diversity, but serving European rather than South Asian constituencies.
• Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF): Regional IGF for the Asia-Pacific region that brings together national IGFs including BIGF. Operates the same multistakeholder dialogue model and is directly comparable as a regional convener of internet governance discussions in BIGF's geographic neighborhood.
• India Internet Governance Forum (India IGF): India's national IGF operating under the same UN IGF framework as BIGF. Directly comparable as a South Asian national multistakeholder forum addressing internet governance, cybersecurity, and digital inclusion in a neighboring country with similar developmental context.
• Indonesia Internet Governance Forum (Indonesia IGF): Indonesia's national IGF under the UN IGF umbrella, operating the same multistakeholder convening model as BIGF. Comparable as an Asian national forum focused on internet governance, digital rights, and capacity building, though serving a much larger and more digitally advanced market.
• Forum da Internet no Brasil (Brazilian Internet Steering Committee): Brazil's national multistakeholder internet governance forum with the same institutional model as BIGF — bringing together government, civil society, academia, and private sector to deliberate internet policy. Comparable in operating model, though serving a different geography and operating at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Society (ISOC): Global non-profit organization advocating for an open, secure, and accessible internet. Comparable to BIGF in mission and values around internet governance and digital rights, but operates at global scale with significantly broader scope, paid membership model, and formal MoU partnership with BIGF through its Bangladesh Chapter.

Others

• DiploFoundation: Capacity-building foundation focused on internet governance and digital policy, operating the Geneva Internet Platform and Internet Governance courses. Comparable to BIGF in its focus on internet governance capacity building and education, though operating globally rather than as a national forum.
• Internet Governance Forum Support Association (IGFSA): Supporting association established in 2014 to provide financial and strategic support to the UN IGF and national/regional IGF initiatives including BIGF. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor — BIGF is a member of IGFSA and receives capacity-building support from it.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bangladesh-internet-governance-forum-bigf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum - BIGF