, Jan. 2 -- The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued the Shipping Agent Licensing Rules, 2025, introducing a dedicated regulatory framework for the first time to ensure greater competition, transparency and accountability in the issuance of shipping agent licences at the country's sea and river ports.

The new rules were promulgated through a gazette notification on December 30, 2025, aiming to modernise and streamline shipping agent-related operations linked to customs stations across Bangladesh.

Until now, there was no standalone set of regulations governing shipping agent licensing. Licences in this sector were previously issued under the Customs Agent Licensing Rules, 2020, a framework that stakeholders long argued was not full...