NCC Bank opens ‘China Desk’ to serve businesses

NCC Bank PLC has launched a specialised banking desk to provide integrated financial services to Chinese businesses and investors operating in Bangladesh.

The initiative – named ‘NCC China Connect’ – aims to accelerate bilateral trade, investment and business growth between Bangladesh and China, the bank said in a press statement issued recently.

The desk was inaugurated recently at the China National Day Celebration 2026, organised by the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) in collaboration with NCC Bank, at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka.

The desk will offer trade finance, working capital, project financing, foreign exchange transactions, bank guarantees, cash management and digital banking services.

Operating under the bank’s Multinational Corporate Banking Division, it will also provide Mandarin-language support and serve as a central point of contact for Chinese entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the event, M Shamsul Arefin, managing director of NCC Bank, said China was Bangladesh’s largest trading partner and one of its most important sources of investment.

He said the bank aimed to provide integrated and specialised banking services to Chinese businesses through the desk to accelerate trade, investment and sustainable growth between the two countries.

NCC Bank has correspondent banking relationships with 30 banks in China and a network of nearly 400 correspondent banks worldwide. The bank expects to use these relationships to expedite the settlement of cross-border trade transactions with China.

It is also working to create opportunities for settling Chinese trade transactions in renminbi (RMB), China’s currency, Shamsul said.

Shama Obaed Islam, state minister for foreign affairs, attended the event as the chief guest, while Liu Yuyin, chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh, was the special guest.

In her speech, Shama highlighted the importance of Bangladesh-China relations in expanding trade, investment and economic cooperation.

She expressed hope that initiatives such as the China desk would facilitate business activities between the two countries and strengthen bilateral economic ties.

Welcoming the initiative, Liu expressed hope that the desk would help expand bilateral trade and investment, improve business connectivity and strengthen the economic partnership between the two countries.

Mohammed Nurun Newaz Salim, chairman of NCC Bank, said he hoped the desk would create new business opportunities and strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

Senior bank officials and leaders of Chinese businesses in Bangladesh, including representatives of the BCCCI, also attended the event.