Bangladesh

Bangladesh Open for Business, PM Tarek Rahman Tells Wall Street Investors

26 September 2026 19:09 PM

NEWS DESK

Bangladesh is firmly committed to creating an investment-friendly environment, Prime Minister Tarek Rahman said, declaring that “Bangladesh is open for business.”

Speaking about his experience in the business sector before entering politics, Rahman said he had learned a simple lesson: investment requires confidence, predictability and an environment conducive to growth.

Rahman made the remarks at a breakfast meeting with leading Wall Street business executives and investors on Friday morning at JPMorgan’s headquarters at 270 Park Avenue in Manhattan. He is visiting New York to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Thanking JPMorgan and the participating business leaders and investors for organizing the meeting, Rahman said he had come not as a Wall Street figure but as a Bangladeshi and political leader with a responsibility to protect the interests of the country and its people.

“Business leaders and investors work to protect the interests of their businesses and investors, while I work to protect the interests of Bangladesh and its people,” he said. “Our responsibilities are different, but the underlying principle is the same—ensuring success.”

Rahman said he had presented Bangladesh’s priorities to the international community at the UN General Assembly and wanted to use the meeting to directly highlight the opportunities Bangladesh offers to its economy and global businesses.

With a population of more than 180 million, Bangladesh has a young and industrious workforce, a growing market and a strategically important geographic location, he said.

Bangladesh is globally recognized as a major manufacturing and garment hub, Rahman said, adding that this would remain an important strength. However, he said the country now offers opportunities far beyond the garment sector.

He identified significant investment opportunities in energy, infrastructure, logistics, technology, digital services, climate finance, manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare.

The government’s goal is to build a $1 trillion economy by 2034 and transform Bangladesh into a globally connected hub for manufacturing, investment and services, Rahman said.

To achieve that goal, the government is working to make Bangladesh easier, more stable and more reliable for investors, he said. Measures include simplifying regulations, strengthening investor protections, improving tax and VAT administration, facilitating the repatriation of profits and upgrading infrastructure.

Rahman also said his government wants to deepen Bangladesh’s economic relationship with the United States. He highlighted plans for new economic arrangements with Japan and South Korea, new partnership initiatives with the European Union and stronger economic ties with China.

These initiatives, he said, would help Bangladesh establish closer links with the world’s major economies.

Referring to JPMorgan’s role in Bangladesh’s first sovereign bond issuance, Rahman said the transaction had provided international investors with a new reference point for Bangladesh and created an opportunity to further integrate the country’s capital markets with the global financial system.

“Ultimately, investors judge a country by what happens after the statements are made,” Rahman said. “They reasonably ask whether regulations are predictable, investments are protected, capital can be moved efficiently and profits can be repatriated easily.”

The government’s responsibility, he said, is to build confidence through policy and, most importantly, effective implementation.

“We want long-term partnerships that create value for both sides, not short-term transactions,” he said.

Calling on Wall Street institutions to invest in Bangladesh, Rahman said his government wanted to turn the country into a strong platform from which investors could expand their operations into broader regional markets.

He said Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Special Assistant for Investment and Capital Markets Tanvir Gani would work closely with investors and coordinate their interests and specific concerns with relevant government officials and institutions.

“The government’s goal is very simple—more investment, more trade, more jobs, more technology and a stronger economic partnership between Bangladesh and the United States,” Rahman said.

Urging investors to invest in Bangladesh with confidence and build long-term businesses in the country, the prime minister said his government was ready to work with investors, listen to their concerns and remove obstacles wherever possible.

“I hope to see many of you in Bangladesh very soon,” he said.

The meeting was attended by leading Wall Street business executives, investors and representatives of financial institutions.

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