Bangladesh is now a role model in economic development boosted by its population and growing industrial base led by RMG industry. Economy is growing at more than 7% and projected to grow even faster in the future to become the 26h largest economy in the world by 2030. However, behind this rise lies multiple challenges revolving around infrastructural development and inadequate funds. Bangladesh needs to receive enough funding to sustain this growth and one industry has potential to do just that – Private Equity and Venture Capital (PEVC). Globally, PEVC backed companies are proven to generate more revenue and employment growth than non-PEVC backed companies.
However, for Bangladesh it’s still a distant reality. While the large start-ups of Bangladesh such as bKash and Pathao are gaining FDI and global attention, small start-ups are also on the rise guided by incubators and accelators. Thus, Venture Capital’s popularity is amassing but Private Equity still begs attention. Private Equity is shunned due to prominent obstacle such as, no local institutional investors, an economy reliant on debt financing, an obstinate corporate culture and huge tax rates on fund manager fees. Therefore, regulations and policies require structure and changes to promote local fund manager participation and attract international firms. Thus, a thriving PEVC industry is the catalyst for economy’s development that will unfold Bangladesh’s success through its manufacturing and tech sectors.
More Print Editions Subscribe