Bangladesh has attracted investment proposals worth $1.25 billion in the first half of 2025, according to information shared at 5th meeting of Investment Coordination Committee held on Thursday at Chief Adviser’s Office.

Presided over by Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, the meeting was attended by key figures including Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur and National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan.

Of the total proposals received between January and June, foreign investments accounted for $465 million, local investments stood at $700 million, while joint ventures made up $85 million.

Chinese firms led foreign investment segment with proposals totaling nearly $330 million.

Additional proposals came from entities based in Singapore, United States and United Arab Emirates, according to officials from Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

BIDA further informed the meeting that investment proposals worth $231 million have already reached the final implementation stage, with a conversion rate of around 18 percent; comparable to the global average of 15 to 20 percent.

The meeting also addressed issues related to operational bottlenecks at Chattogram Port, particularly the backlog of approximately 6,500 idle containers.

Chattogram Port Authority reported that around 1,000 containers were auctioned off over the past two months to reduce congestion. An additional 500 containers are scheduled for auction next month.

Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi instructed authorities to streamline and expedite the auction process to ensure efficiency and free up port space.

Discussions also included the upcoming launch of Bangladesh Business Portal (BBP), an integrated digital platform intended to unify the services of BIDA, BEZA, BEPZA and BSCIC.

Officials confirmed that the project is in its final stages, with a soft launch expected in the first week of September and full-scale operations to commence by the end of the month.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Chattogram Port Authority, Chattogram Customs House, and various public and private sector organizations were also present at the meeting.