Economy

Access to finance is a major impediment to MSME growth in Bangladesh. Despite the presence of approximately 60 banks, 34 NBFIs, 760 MFIs, and 17 alternative investment firms in Bangladesh, MSMEs frequently struggle to attract capital that is in line with their needs and characteristics, and as a consequence, quite often fail to develop to […]

Going up the Ladder: From Least Developed Country to a Developing Country Bangladesh is set to graduate from its status as a Least Developed Country (LDC) in November 2026. After 46 years of being enlisted in the category, the country has met all three criteria as assessed triennially by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of the United Nations, […]

The global economy has been undergoing turbulent times over the last couple of years, spearheaded by the pandemic-induced slowdown in 2020 and the resulting supply chain disruptions wrought about by travel restrictions and lockdowns. While the pandemic has receded—facilitated by the invention, mass production, and distribution of vaccines in record time—a number of geopolitical challenges have disrupted economic recovery. The advent of […]

This letter was first published in the Bimonthly Newsletter of September 2022 Dear Friends and Patrons: The global economy has been undergoing turbulent times over the last couple of years, spearheaded by the pandemic-induced slowdown in 2020 and the resulting supply chain disruptions wrought about by travel restrictions and lockdowns. While the pandemic has receded—facilitated […]

LightCastle Partners recently prepared a whitepaper titled “Bangladesh Shrimp Sector: Transitioning Towards Sustainable Growth” that discussed the value chain analysis, recent export trends, bottlenecks for growth, the potential of Vannamei farming, and the future prospects of the Bangladesh shrimp sector. Subsequently, a webinar was organized on August 22, 2022, to share the key findings from […]

Infrastructure a Key Catalyst In the first part of the discussion on the Investment Climate of Bangladesh, the country’s economic resilience, growing investment portfolio, and thrust sector opportunities were discussed. Along with it, the past decade has been characterized by substantial investments in infrastructure, which have been key to industrialization and the logistical integration of […]

Resilient Economic Growth Bangladesh’s rise from the ruins of its war of independence, 50 years ago, has been nothing short of remarkable. In 2020, Bangladesh surpassed India’s, GDP per capita, and is now the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia as well as the 41st largest in the world. The middle and affluent class in the country […]

This letter was first published in the Bimonthly Newsletter of August 2022 Dear Friends and Valued Stakeholders: Energy sustainability has always been a key issue for achieving economic resilience. Bangladesh has come a long way in that regard with 96%+ of the population having access to electricity in 2020 from 32% in 2000 (WorldBank). A large proportion of that […]

Impact investment is any investment made with the intent to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact, alongside a financial return. The global impact investment industry, totaling USD 715 billion, has grown in depth and sophistication over the last decade. As countries worldwide lean towards a values-oriented approach, Bangladesh has been shaping its own trajectory […]

Impact investment is any investment made with the intent to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact, alongside a financial return. As Bangladesh approaches its middle-income status by 2026, enterprises and other stakeholders anticipate a shift away from mainstream financial instruments for development. Donors are also increasingly transitioning towards blended finance as an approach that accelerates the […]

Bangladesh’s overall financial inclusion increased by 56.3% between 2011 to 2018, driven by strong policy support from the government, initiatives by the private sector, and involvement by the multilateral development partners. For equitable economic growth and poverty reduction, it is essential to increase access and usage of innovative financial products and services. Giving underprivileged groups financial access […]

Introduction As one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, Bangladesh is on track to leave the status of Least Developed Country (LDC) in 2026 . For the country’s economic growth to be sustainable, it needs a reliable energy infrastructure that can keep up with the pace of rising energy demand. In 2022, Bangladesh managed to […]

Seamless Global, US-Bangladesh Business Council, International Trade Administration, and LightCastle Partners jointly hosted a webinar on 20th April, Wednesday at 9:00 pm. The webinar focused on trade and investment opportunities for US enterprises in Bangladesh. Zahedul Amin, Co-founder & Director at LightCastle Partners joined the webinar as a keynote speaker. We have published the keynote presentation deck here for your […]

Life on Earth is only possible because of the atmosphere, so it goes without saying that any change to this security blanket we have has massive impacts on all of humanity. This article is the third of a three-part series detailing the impacts of climate change on Bangladesh. The first and second articles covered the impacts on […]

This article is part two of a three-part series that divides the impacts of climate change on land, air, and water in Bangladesh. It focuses on all the different ways in which the water cycle is affected by climate change and its impacts on the country. Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and makes up 60% of an adult human body. […]