Staff Reporter :
Nobel Laureate and Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s Interim Government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, issued a passionate call to global investors on Wednesday, positioning Bangladesh as a promising destination for socially responsible enterprises and transformative business ventures.
“Bangladesh is a country with crazy ideas to change the world,” Yunus proclaimed at the opening ceremony of the Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025, held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka. “We invite you to join that craft-not only to change Bangladesh through your business, but to change the world.”
Organised by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), the four-day summit has attracted international investors, business leaders, and policymakers eager to explore Bangladesh’s post-revolution investment landscape and reform-driven economy.
Widely recognised for founding Grameen Bank and pioneering the global microfinance movement, Yunus presented Bangladesh as a “laboratory for purpose-driven business,” where profit and social impact are not mutually exclusive.
“If you want to build a business with a purpose, this is the place,” he said. “Making money brings happiness, but making others happy brings super happiness.”
Reflecting on Bangladesh’s journey since independence, Yunus cited the country’s resilience and entrepreneurial spirit, recalling the devastating famine of 1974 and highlighting the progress made in sectors such as ready-made garments. “We started with nothing. Today, we’re building a future others can join,” he said. “Our garment industry was built by some crazy young university students asking, ‘Why not us?'”
He also referenced the global reach of Grameen America, which now provides small-scale loans-typically under $1,000-to low-income women across the United States. “A seed planted in a Bangladeshi village is now growing across the U.S. That’s the power of this soil,” Yunus added.
Outlining a bold vision for the future, Yunus called for a world of “Three Zeros”: zero carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration, and zero unemployment. He challenged the notion that governments alone could achieve such goals, instead urging businesses and individuals to take the lead in shaping a just and sustainable global economy.
“Business is the most powerful mechanism to change the world,” he said. “Governments can’t do it alone. It’s up to us-human beings-to build the civilisation we want.”
Warning against unchecked wealth accumulation, he described extreme inequality as a “self-destructive system” that undermines social stability. “Making money is fun,” he remarked. “But the concentration of wealth will destroy the world.”
Addressing the role of youth, Yunus championed entrepreneurship over traditional employment, asserting that “young people are not job seekers-they are entrepreneurs.”
He cited Grameenphone’s Village Phone initiative, which empowered nearly 100,000 rural women to lift themselves out of poverty by selling mobile services. “It wasn’t just about technology-it was about dignity,” he noted.
The summit also featured keynote addresses from prominent international and domestic figures, including Baroness Rosie Winterton, the UK’s Trade Envoy to Bangladesh; Oscar García Maceiras, CEO of Inditex, the parent company of Zara; and Syed Nasim Manzur, Managing Director of Apex Footwear Limited. All underscored the growing confidence in Bangladesh’s investment environment.
BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun presented updates on the country’s investment framework, focusing on policy reforms implemented following the political transition last July. The session was moderated by Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy on International Affairs to the Chief Adviser.
The Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025, which commenced on 7 April, aims to catalyse long-term foreign investment, foster innovation-driven growth, and chart a path towards a more inclusive and sustainable economic future in the post-Awami League era.
