Disputes & Regulatory
Regulatory Practice
Licensing, sector regulation and government engagement across energy, telecoms, financial services and public procurement.
Much of what determines whether a Bangladeshi project succeeds sits with a regulator rather than a counterparty: BERC on tariffs, BTRC on telecoms licences, Bangladesh Bank on capital movement, BSEC on securities, line ministries on permitting. The firm is accredited as a project consultant to the Ministry of Law and has advised government bodies and multilateral institutions on regulatory reform.
We advise on licensing and authorisation, represent clients in regulatory proceedings and appeals, and support policy engagement and law reform work.
How we help
- Licensing, authorisation and permit applications
- Regulatory investigations, hearings and appeals
- Tariff, pricing and concession regulation
- Public procurement challenges and bid protests
- Policy engagement and legislative drafting support
- Regulatory due diligence on transactions
Representative matters
- Lead local counsel on the World Bank Financial Sector Reform Programme, which redesigned Bangladesh's banking regulatory framework.
- Consultancy work for USAID and other development agencies.
Mandates in this practice
The World Bank · Lead local counsel
Financial Sector Reform Programme — redesign of the banking regulatory framework, and drafting of the Bankruptcy Act 1997
ONGC, OIL, POSCO and Daewoo · Local counsel
Offshore production sharing contracts
El Paso · Counsel
Successful corporate tax exemption
Recent changes in the law
Invest Bangladesh replaces BIDA, BEZA and the PPP Authority
The Invest Bangladesh Act 2026 came into force by gazette notification, creating a single investment authority under the Prime Minister's Office. It takes over the functions, contracts and staff of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority and the PPP Authority, and repeals their parent Acts and the One Stop Service Act 2018. BEPZA and the Hi-Tech Park Authority remain separate. Registration, work permits and the one-stop portal continue under the new name.
Personal Data Protection Act 2026
Parliament replaced the Personal Data Protection Ordinance of November 2025 with an Act. It reaches organisations outside Bangladesh that offer goods or services to people in the country, requires specific and revocable consent, and regulates large cross-border transfers of sensitive personal data.
Cyber Security Ordinance 2025 replaces the Cyber Security Act 2023
The Cyber Security Ordinance 2025 took effect on publication in the gazette and cancelled the Cyber Security Act 2023, removing several of its speech-related offences. Compliance policies that still cite the 2023 Act need updating.
Our writing on this
- Clean energy in Bangladesh's power sector: the regulatory path to 2030
Bangladesh has committed to sourcing a meaningful share of aggregate generation from clean energy by 2030. The regulatory architecture to deliver it is only partly built — and the gaps are where sponsors take risk.