Bangladesh Investment Summit begins in London

Bangladesh Investment Summit organised by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) is starting today in London with an aim to attract foreign investment in the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the two-day event titled "Bangladesh Investment Summit 2021: Building Growth Partnership" at London's Queen Elizabeth Center.

Private Sector Industry and Investment Adviser to Prime Minister Salman F Rahman, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Md Sirazul Islam, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, and BSEC Chairman Professor Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, Bangladesh Export Processing Area Authority (BEPZA) Executive Chairman Major General Md Nazrul Islam and Bangladesh High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Saida Muna Tasnim will attend the inaugural ceremony.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir and NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem are also expected to attend the event.

The event will be attended by several investors and stakeholders in London. A panel discussion titled "Investment for Sustainable Growth" will also be held at the event and Nina Dos Santos, editor of CNN Europe, will moderate the session.

A BSEC team has already met Morgan Stanley officials and offered investment opportunities in fixed income securities, capital market instruments, infrastructure, power, energy and other sectors.

BSEC Chairman Shibli Rubaiyat-ul-Islam said, "We will focus (at the event) on investing in Bangladesh. In terms of investment, we have opportunities not only in the capital but also in other parts of the country. We will present these facts at the event."

"The Bangladeshi community who are in the UK are very patriotic. They want to do something for the country. We will try to figure out how to bring them into our economy," he added.

Bangladesh has built infrastructures such as the Padma Bridge, Payra Port, Elevated Expressway in the last decade and the government plans to further invest $40 billion in infrastructural development. A hundred economic zones are also being developed across the country to attract investors.

After Germany, Bangladesh exports the most products to the United Kingdom. Bangladesh exported $3.5 billion worth of goods to the UK last year taking the opportunity of free export-duty.