United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur on Monday announced that the central bank is taking steps to establish a dedicated fund of Tk 800 to 900 crore to support the country’s growing startup ecosystem. “The fund will be channeled through commercial banks,” he said at a panel discussion at the inaugural session of Bangladesh Startup Connect 2025, held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dhaka. The event is part of the Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025, organised under the theme “Empowering Innovation, Connecting Opportunities.” The event opened with a formal inauguration followed by a keynote speech from Tanveer Ali, Chairman of Constellation Asset Management Company Ltd and Independent Director of Startup Bangladesh Ltd. Four state-owned banks to remain open on Friday The panel also featured several other speakers including Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the ICT Division; Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of BIDA; and Shish Haider Chowdhury, Secretary of the ICT Division and Chairman of Startup Bangladesh Ltd. The session was moderated by Sadia Haque, CEO of ShareTrip. Highlighting Bangladesh’s strong potential in the startup space, Governor Mansur referenced the success of bKash and expressed optimism about the country producing more breakthrough ventures. “I want to see at least 10 unicorns like bKash in Bangladesh in the future,” he said. Shish Haider Chowdhury also shared updates on the government’s preparations for a 'Fund of Funds,' aimed at mobilising investment to reinforce the startup ecosystem. “This fund will offer critical support to early- and growth-stage startups, enabling them to scale, expand globally, and build long-term sustainability,” he said. Throughout the day, the summit will host startup pitches, policy roundtables, and sector-specific sessions focusing on FinTech, SaaS, Logistics, HealthTech, AgriTech, EdTech, and AI. A key feature of the summit is the Youth Innovation Challenge 2025, organised by Startup Bangladesh. This segment features 15 standout youth-led ventures from across the country, giving young entrepreneurs a platform to pitch their ideas directly to top investors and decision-makers. Startup Connect 2025 is jointly organised by Startup Bangladesh Ltd, the ICT Division, and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), highlighting the country's rapidly evolving startup landscape and its growing appeal to international investors. Your contribution to eradicating poverty truly inspiring: Chinese banker tells Dr Yunus  

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has invited the global investors to invest in Bangladesh in a bigger way as the South Asian country is ready to have enhanced trade and investment ties with improved business and investment climate."We have always been saying Bangladesh is ready for an enhanced business," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told UNB, highlighting Dr Yunus' extensive engagements on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss city.Alam highlighted the prevailing business and investment friendly environment with enhanced port capacities in the country which helps Bangladesh to become another exports hub.The beauty of the World Economic Forum annual meeting is that top executives of global organisations including prominent presence of private sector leaders interact with the heads of the government and states, said the Press Secretary, focusing on the Chief Adviser's extensive engagements here since his arrival.Meanwhile, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem met Chief Adviser Dr Yunus on Thursday morning (Davos time) and discussed issues of mutual interest, CA's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told UNB.DP World is a multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones.Dr Yunus continued his broader engagement with the global leaders here at the 2025 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, with over a dozen engagements planned for Thursday, the third hectic day since his arrival in the Swiss city on January 21.The Forum has brought together governments, businesses and civil society members to improve the state of the world.Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative in Geneva Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam and Secretary (West) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs M Riaz Hamidullah,among others, are accompanying the Chief Adviser at meetings on the sidelines of the WEF.Sir Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs of Meta Platforms Inc and Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International also met the Chief Adviser separately. Robert Maersk Uggla, Chair of A.P. Moller – Maersk in addition to top executives of the global organisations, is likely to meet the Chief Adviser on Thursday, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB. Dr Yunus’ broader engagement with global leaders in Davos continues Thomas Eymond-Laritaz, founder & CEO of HIGHGATE (Strategic Advisory Firm), Hugh Evans, CEO, Global Citizens and Prof. Klaus Schwab, founder, World Economic Forum are also scheduled to meet the Chief Adviser, Azad said. Global media outlets like Reuters, Financial Times and CNBC International anchor Tania Bryer will interview the Chief Adviser. Over 50 heads of state and government, including Nobel Laureate Dr Yunus, gathered at the WEF being held from January 20-25. The Summit is being held under the theme of “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age” and it welcomed close to 3,000 attendees from over 130 countries. UN fact-finding report on atrocities during July Uprising to be released by mid-February: UN rights chief

New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the global investors, particularly the Indian entrepreneurs, to invest in non-conventional potential areas.