Investment proposals worth $1.25b received during Jan-Jun

Bangladesh received investment proposals worth $1.25 billion during last January-June period through the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and other relevant government agencies, latest updates show.

The investment information and trade-facilitation measures were disclosed at the 5th meeting of the Investment Coordination Committee held Thursday at the Chief Adviser's Office.

The meeting, chaired by Lutfe Siddique, the Chief Adviser's Special Envoy for International Affairs, was attended, among others, by Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Ahsan H. Mansur and National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan.

According to the report presented at the meeting, out of the total proposals received in the first six months of 2025, foreign investment accounted for $465 million, while local investment stood at $700 million and joint ventures amounted to $85 million.

Among foreign investors, companies from China proposed the highest amount, around $330 million, followed by significant proposals from Singapore, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, a BIDA representative told the meeting.

So far, proposals worth $231 million have reached the final approval stage, representing an 18-percent conversion rate from initial to final investment. The global average conversion rate typically ranges between 15 per cent and 20 per cent, the meeting was informed.

The stocktaking meet on trade and investment also discussed ongoing congestion at Chattogram Port, where around 6,500 containers have been lying idle for an extended period.

The Chattogram Port Authority reported that since the government began efforts to ease container backlogs, about 1,000 containers had been auctioned in the past two months.

"Another 500 containers are scheduled for auction next month, with the process of handing over auctioned goods already underway," the meeting was informed.

Special Envoy Lutfe Siddique instructed the authorities concerned to further accelerate the auction process to restore efficiency at the country's busiest seaport.

The committee also reviewed progress on the Bangladesh Business Portal (BBP), an integrated online platform designed to streamline services of BIDA, BEZA, BEPZA, and BSCIC. Officials reported that development of the platform is in its final stages, with a soft launch planned for the first week of September and full-scale launch by the end of the month.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Chattogram Port Authority, Chattogram Customs House, and various public and private organisations also attended the meeting.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com