Invest Bangladesh Chairman Ashik Chowdhury has urged major Chinese financial institutions to set up local banking operations in Bangladesh to provide direct trade finance, capital solutions, and long-term investment support for expanding bilateral trade and industrial partnerships.
The call was made during "Bangladesh Day," organized jointly by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and Invest Bangladesh at the bank’s headquarters in Beijing on Tuesday.
The high-level event brought together representatives from 11 leading Chinese financial institutions—including three of the world’s four largest banks by assets: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Agricultural Bank of China, and Bank of China—alongside executives from 26 major Chinese corporate firms across infrastructure, power, ICT, environmental solutions, consumer electronics, and agri-tech.
Addressing the forum as chief guest, Invest Bangladesh Chairman Ashik Chowdhury highlighted financial connectivity as the crucial next frontier of bilateral cooperation.
"The next frontier of Bangladesh–China cooperation is financial connectivity. Chinese enterprises investing in Bangladesh need efficient trade finance, equipment financing, working capital solutions, and long-term investment support," Chowdhury said.
"Our bilateral trade volume also suggests the same. Bangladeshi enterprises need access to technology and productive partnerships. A stronger presence of Chinese financial institutions could serve both sides and make investment decisions easier to execute," he added.
Delivering a joint keynote presentation titled “The Next Frontier — Bangladesh–China Financial Connectivity,” Bangladesh Bank and Invest Bangladesh pointed out that bilateral trade between the two nations reached $19 billion in FY2025.
However, despite this substantial volume, Bangladesh currently has no locally operating Chinese bank—unlike peer markets such as Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, which feature established Chinese financial footprints.
The presentation outlined priority investment sectors in Bangladesh, focusing on specialized hubs such as the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) and the Mongla Economic Zone, detailing the growth opportunities available for Chinese enterprises and their supporting lenders.
Wang Kang, Vice President of China Exim Bank, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment as a policy bank supporting international trade and investment.
"We currently have nearly 40 projects in Bangladesh, spanning infrastructure, energy, agriculture, processing, and manufacturing," Wang stated. "We will also encourage more leading Chinese enterprises to invest directly in priority sectors such as textiles and healthcare, ensuring that finance continues to support the development of Bangladesh’s real economy."
The event, which was also addressed by H.E. Md. Nazmul Islam, Ambassador of Bangladesh to China, featured dedicated sessions on bilateral trade financing and concluded with networking discussions on potential corporate partnerships.