The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to make the use of the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) mandatory for issuing Utilisation Permission (UP), a key requirement for bonded warehouse licence holders to import raw materials duty-free.
The decision received unanimous support at a “Meet the Business” discussion on Sunday, where top representatives from BGMEA, BKMEA, BGAPMEA, BTMA, and LFMEAB endorsed mandatory CBMS usage for all UP-related services. 
Stakeholders suggested that, if feasible, full enforcement begin on 1 December 2025. NBR is expected to issue an official directive soon.
To modernise and bring greater transparency to the bond management system, NBR launched the automated CBMS platform on 1 January 2025. Currently, three customs bond commissionerates are providing online services to bonded exporters through 24 operational modules of the system.
Although the UP module is fully functional, most export-oriented bonded firms continue to obtain UP manually, with only a small number shifting to the online process. 
As adoption remained lower than expected over the past ten months, NBR upgraded several CBMS features based on user feedback to improve usability.
Mandatory implementation of CBMS is expected to speed up service delivery, enhance transparency, and strengthen accountability across NBR operations. 
Automation of raw material input-output records will ensure accurate digital tracking and eliminate the need for manual document submission to bond commissionerates. Officials say the move will also reduce bond-related disputes and improve operational efficiency.
NBR said the decision represents another significant step in its digitalisation agenda and reiterated its commitment to fully automating revenue-related activities to ensure transparency and accountability.
Meanwhile, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem called for strict action against those who misuse the bond facility, arguing that their activities undermine compliant businesses.
“Those who misuse the bond facility never face consequences,” he said. “They should be punished promptly, and if necessary, their photos should be published in newspapers. We want to know who these abusers are and the names of their organisations. Their misuse harms businesses like ours.”