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On September 17, 2025 LightCastle Partners successfully hosted the Bangladesh Business Confidence Dialogue 2025, a high-level convening designed to assess the current state of Bangladesh’s private sector and explore its future trajectory based on the insights from the latest Business Confidence Index 2024-25 Report by LightCastle Partners .
The half-day forum brought together over 50 distinguished representatives from more than 15 industries in the private sector alongside Embassy officials, development partners, policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders working at the critical nexus of public–private collaboration.
The dialogue opened with a keynote presentation by Priyo Pranto, Senior Business Consultant at LightCastle Partners, who shared insights from the firm’s flagship publication, the Business Confidence Index 2024–25.
Findings this year pointed to strong optimism among startups, IT/ITES, and pharmaceuticals, while traditional sectors such as finance, logistics, and energy continue to grapple with structural and operational hurdles.
Mr. Ariful Hoque, Director General of Strategic Investments at Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), joined as the Special Guest of the event, setting the stage for two engaging panel discussions.
“We are committed to creating an enabling environment for businesses, where policy stability and streamlined processes attract both domestic and foreign investment.” – Ariful Hoque, Director General, BIDA
Panel 1: Fixing the Fundamentals – Laying the Groundwork for Private Sector Resilience
The session, moderated by Bijon Islam, CEO at LightCaste, featured distinguished panelists including Mr. Rabiul Alam, Managing Director, Shams Group of Companies; Dr. M Masrur Reaz, Chairman & CEO, Policy Exchange Bangladesh; Ms. Lopa Rahman, Corporate Governance Officer, International Finance Corporation; and Mr. Asif Khan, CFA, Chairman, Edge Research & Consulting Limited.
The discussion delved into the financial sector’s health, global shipping disruptions, and the implications of fiscal and business reforms for investment readiness and ease of doing business.
Panel 2: A Private Sector Development Approach for Fostering Growth
Moderated by Zahedul Amin, Managing Director at LightCastle, this panel convened industry leaders to discuss resilience, competitiveness, and export diversification across critical sectors such as RMG, agro-processing and consumer electronics. Esteemed speakers included Mr. Saikat Azad, Category Head, Transcom Electronics Limited; Mr. Amer Salim, Director, Knit Asia Limited; and Mr. Tajwar M. Awal, Director, Lal Teer Seed Limited.
“To ensure food security in Bangladesh, it is vital to invest in research and development tailored to our unique environmental conditions, enabling the creation of resilient species. At the same time, strengthening intellectual property rights will be key to sustaining innovation and long-term impact.” – Tajwar Awal, Director, Lal Teer Seeds Limited
Adding an interactive element to the dialogue, the LightCastle team conducted a live digital survey with participants, inviting them to share their perspectives on the current and anticipated outlook of the macroeconomy and their respective industries.
The exercise provided an immediate pulse check of the room’s sentiment, mirroring the approach used in this year’s Business Confidence Index (BCI). The 2024–25 BCI, which reflects insights from over 140 industry leaders nationwide, recorded a sentiment score of +6.44, capturing the cautious optimism shaping Bangladesh’s business landscape.
Through thought-provoking discussions, the Bangladesh Business Confidence Dialogue 2025 signaled both potential risks and opportunities in the economy, thereby providing valuable insights to policymakers, investors, and businesses in shaping informed decisions for the future. The event reaffirmed LightCastle Partners’ commitment to fostering evidence-based dialogue and actionable insights that can strengthen Bangladesh’s private sector resilience amid both domestic and global uncertainties.
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