ICC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman (6thfrom right), along with several ICCB members, meets with a UK Export Finance (UKEF) team led by Mark Birrell (4th from right), Export Counsellor for South Asia, at the ICCB Secretariat in Gulshan, Dhaka.

A four-member UK Export Finance (UKEF) team held a meeting with ICC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman and other ICCB members at the ICC Bangladesh Secretariat on 3 September.

ICC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman welcomed the delegation and highlighted the long-standing economic and commercial relationship between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. He said Bangladesh’s growing infrastructure needs and expanding private sector offer significant opportunities for greater UK investment, technology and long-term financing. He emphasised the potential for UKEF support in priority sectors, particularly renewable energy, transport and logistics, airports and aviation, healthcare, agriculture and agro-processing, and climate-resilient infrastructure. He also expressed ICC Bangladesh’s interest in working closely with UKEF, the UK Department for Business and Trade and British businesses to identify a concrete pipeline of viable projects that could benefit from UK expertise and financing.

Mr. Mark Birrell, UK Trade Counsellor for South Asia highlighted financing capacity of up to £2 billion for eligible Bangladeshi buyers to undertake projects involving British goods and services across key development sectors. He said that UKEF, the UK Government’s export credit agency, is engaging with government officials, financial institutions and business leaders in Bangladesh to explore financing opportunities and identify potential projects where British expertise, technology and financing could contribute to the country’s development ambitions.

With an available country capacity of between £1 billion and £2 billion, UKEF can help eligible Bangladeshi buyers access competitive financing for projects in transport, agriculture, healthcare, airports, manufacturing, renewable energy and infrastructure, he said.

Mr. Birrell thanked ICC Bangladesh President for giving his Team the opportunity to brief and discuss with ICC Bangladesh members on the potential areas of cooperation and opportunities for mobilizing UK-backed financing for projects in Bangladesh.

The UKEF delegation briefed on the range of financing facilities available to support eligible projects involving UK goods and services. Discussions focused on how UKEF financing could help address funding requirements for major development and private-sector projects and facilitate greater trade, investment and business cooperation between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.

“The UK and Bangladesh have an important and enduring economic relationship. This visit will allow us to hear directly from government and business leaders and explore where UK companies, expertise and finance can support innovation, growth and development,” said Birrell.

UKEF offers a range of financial products, including guarantees, loans and insurance, designed to help unlock competitive financing for projects involving UK suppliers. Its support can be provided in more than 60 local currencies and includes long-term financing instruments such as the Buyer Credit Facility, Standard Buyer Loan Guarantee, Direct Lending Facility and Early Project Services Guarantee.

During the visit, the delegation is scheduled to engage with government representatives, banks and private sector leaders to identify potential areas for cooperation. Its programme also includes engagements with financial institutions and business bodies, including Standard Chartered Bangladesh and HSBC to discuss how UKEF financing could help meet funding requirements and facilitate greater trade and investment between Bangladesh and the UK.

The UKEF delegation also included Mr.Sandeep Kudtarkar, UKEF Country Head for India, Bangladesh and Nepal; Ms. Rohini Aggarwal, Head of Trade Policy for South Asia and Mr Saiyab Ahmed, Deputy Director of Trade & Investment at the British High Commission in Dhaka. 

The meeting was also attended by ICCB Vice President Naser Ezaz Bijoy; FBCCI Administrator Md. Fazlul Hoque; BCI President Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez); CCCI President Mohammed Amirul Haque; BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell; BAPI Vice President Syed S Kaiser Kabir; ICCB Secretary General Ataur Rahman; General Manager Ajay Bihari Saha and Deputy General Manager Syeda Shahnewaz Lotika.