Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury declared on Saturday an end to political appointments in Bangladesh’s financial institutions, pledging that all future appointments would be strictly professional and saying the move would help strengthen governance and investor confidence.
“There will be no political appointments in any financial institution in Bangladesh. I repeat, no political appointments — all will be professional appointments,” Chowdhury told a high-level conference in Dhaka.
Speaking at the “Roadmap for Trade, Growth and Economic Diplomacy 2026: Navigating Risks, Leveraging Resilience” conference, the minister said Bangladesh’s fiscal space was being squeezed by rising debt-service costs. Interest payments would consume about BDT 1.25 trillion in the current budget, he said, limiting spending on education, health and infrastructure.
Large-scale investment, the minister argued, should be financed through capital markets rather than bank borrowing. To support that goal, the government had begun restructuring the capital market and appointed professionals to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Government-owned commercial entities would have to operate on market-based principles and raise funds from the market rather than relying on the treasury, Chowdhury said.
He also set out a deregulation drive, noting that four and a half pages of the budget speech had been devoted to deregulation. A taskforce would be formed to speed up approvals, a separate website would receive complaints, and the government had decided in principle that any approval application not resolved within seven days would be deemed approved.
The conference, jointly organised by the foreign ministry and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), brought together senior policymakers, heads of mission, development partners, international financial institutions, multinational companies and business organisations.
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman inaugurated the event and outlined Bangladesh’s future economic diplomacy roadmap. BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun highlighted investment opportunities, ongoing reform programmes and opportunities for international partners.
At a session on “Capital for Growth: Finance, Commerce and Trade”, Chowdhury was joined by National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan and MP Barrister Jahrat Adib Chowdhury, with Policy Exchange Bangladesh Chairman and Founder M Masrur Reaz moderating.
Another session focused on LDC graduation, market expansion, investor confidence and competitiveness. Participants included State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, and Adviser on Education, Expatriate Welfare, Labour and Employment Dr Mahdi Amin.
In the final session on AI, creative industries and sport, ICT, Science and Technology Adviser Rehan Asif Asad reaffirmed the government’s commitment to establishing leadership in the digital economy. State Minister for Culture Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam and State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque also took part.
Representatives of the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank and International Monetary Fund participated in the conference.
Partner Engagement Notes have been solicited from participants. Based on those proposals, the foreign ministry’s International Trade, Investment and Technology wing and BIDA will jointly organise a series of closed-door roundtable meetings in the coming months.