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Bangladesh recorded a robust rise in net foreign direct investment (FDI) during July-September 2025, reflecting improved investor confidence amid global uncertainties.
According to the latest figures released by Bangladesh Bank, net FDI inflows in the third quarter (Jul-Sep) stood at $315.09 million, marking a 202- percent year-on-year increase from $104.33 million recorded in the same quarter of 2024.
Cumulatively, total net FDI inflows during January-September 2025 stood at $1.41 billion, representing an 80 per cent increase compared to $780 million in the corresponding period of 2024.
All major components of foreign direct investment posted significant improvements in the third quarter of 2025. Equity investment rose 31.69 per cent year-on-year to $101.12 million from $76.79 million, reinvested earnings surged 190.07 per cent to $211.47 million from $72.90 million, while intra-company loans turned positive at $2.49 million after recording a negative $45.36 million in the same period a year earlier.
This growth builds on a strong first-half performance. In April-June 2025, net FDI reached $303.27 million, compared to $272.22 million in the second quarter of the previous year, representing a year-on-year gain of 11.4 per cent.
Overall, net FDI in H1 '25 (Jan-Jun) increased by more than 61 per cent compared to H1 '24.
Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), said, "BIDA's core work is to improve the business climate and develop a credible pipeline of investment. It is encouraging to see this pipeline begin to convert into realised inflows."
"The benchmark remains low, but these back-to-back quarterly gains highlight that investors are placing their trust in Bangladesh.
"We expect some moderation in Q4 '25 due to the upcoming elections, but anticipate a rebound post-election, supported by a strong investment pipeline," he added.
Beyond the realised inflows, BIDA's dedicated investment pipeline for 2025 has already surpassed $1.5 billion, in addition to traditional registered proposals.
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