Bangladesh secures $1.25b investment proposals in first half of the year
Chinese companies led the foreign investment proposals, amounting to nearly $330 million.
Bangladesh received investment proposals worth $1.25 billion in the first half of this year, covering the January–June period.
The information was disclosed at the 5th meeting of the Investment Coordination Committee held today at the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO), chaired by Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi. Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Ahsan H Mansur and National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan were also present.
According to the meeting, the proposals included $465 million in foreign investment, $700 million in local investment, and $85 million in joint ventures. Among foreign investors, Chinese firms topped the list with nearly $330 million in proposals. Significant interest also came from institutions in Singapore, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.
Representatives of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) reported that $231 million of the proposed $1.25 billion has already advanced to the final stage, reflecting an 18 percent conversion rate — comparable to the global average of 15–20 percent.
The meeting also reviewed container congestion at Chattogram Port, where about 6,500 containers have remained idle. Port authorities said measures had been taken to ease the situation, including auctioning 1,000 containers in the past two months. Another 500 containers are set to go under auction next month, with efforts ongoing to clear goods from completed auctions. Lutfey Siddiqi directed authorities to streamline the auction process further.
Progress on the Bangladesh Business Portal (BBP) was also discussed. Officials said the integrated digital platform — bringing together services of BIDA, BEZA, BEPZA, and BSCIC — is at its final stage. A soft launch is planned for early September, with full-scale operations expected by the end of the month.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Chattogram Port Authority, Chattogram Customs House, and other public and private institutions also attended the meeting.
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