Seventeen commercial banks have joined hands with Bangladesh Bank to fund a Tk41,000 crore credit pool aimed at restarting long-shuttered industrial plants, driving private investment, and lifting the economy out of its recent slump.
The commitment forms the backbone of a broader Tk60,000 crore stimulus package first unveiled by the central bank on May 23.
Under the agreement, participating commercial lenders will cover Tk41,000 crore of the total allocation, while Bangladesh Bank will finance the remaining Tk19,000 crore directly from its internal reserves.
The participating institutions include a mix of state-owned and leading private lenders: Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank, Rupali Bank, Brac Bank, City Bank, Jamuna Bank, Dutch-Bangla Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, Uttara Bank, Prime Bank, Bank Asia, NCC Bank, Pubali Bank, Eastern Bank, Mercantile Bank, Trust Bank, and Southeast Bank.
At the heart of the initiative is a dedicated Tk20,000 crore allotment—the package's largest single component—specifically targeted at getting dormant factories back into operation.
Private entrepreneurs will be eligible to tap into these funds via loans carrying an average interest rate of 7.5%.
Terming the scheme a core "Production and Employment Recovery" program, Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostakur Rahman noted during a recent press briefing that the central bank expects the initiative to generate nearly 2.5 million new jobs.
Beyond immediate employment, financial regulators anticipate that restoring closed production lines will catalyze broader private sector investment and supply the momentum needed to break the economy's ongoing stagnation.
