Mohammad Khorshed Alam, president of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), told TBS that Chinese banks are highly interested in opening branches in Bangladesh.
20 October, 2026, 11:25 am
Last modified: 20 October, 2026, 11:56 am
The Export-Import Bank of China, in partnership with Invest Bangladesh, is organising "Bangladesh Day" at its headquarters in Beijing today to encourage major Chinese banks to explore opening branches in Bangladesh.
The event will discuss the feasibility of establishing branches, regulatory requirements and related procedures, with representatives of Chinese banks and Bangladesh Bank expected to attend.
Invest Bangladesh Chairman Ashik Chowdhury is currently in China to attend the event.
Nahian Rahman Rochi, a member of Invest Bangladesh, told The Business Standard that the initiative aims to gauge Chinese banks' interest in operating in Bangladesh and highlight the commercial opportunities.
He hoped the event would initiate discussions on the prospects for establishing Chinese bank branches in Bangladesh.
Nahian noted that bilateral trade between Bangladesh and China amounts to around $20 billion, yet no Chinese bank has a branch in Bangladesh. By contrast, Chinese banks operate in several countries with comparatively lower trade volumes with China.
He added that separate meetings between Ashik Chowdhury and Bangladesh Bank officials are planned after the event
According to Bangladesh Bank sources, the central bank will provide all-out support if any Chinese bank seeks to open a branch in Bangladesh.
China is Bangladesh's largest single trading partner and one of its major development partners. Business leaders say Chinese bank branches could facilitate bilateral transactions, provide financing for imports and exports, and support investment.
Mohammad Khorshed Alam, president of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI), told TBS that Chinese banks are highly interested in opening branches in Bangladesh. To facilitate the process, the chamber signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Chinese bank during its latest visit to Kunming.
Khorshed noted that Chinese banks have branches in Sri Lanka despite its comparatively lower trade volume with China, while Bangladesh still has none. "If we had a Chinese bank in Bangladesh we could open LCs in Chinese currency," he said.