The Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025 began in Dhaka on Sunday, with the government highlighting its renewed push for foreign investment and reform-led growth.

Organized by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), the four-day summit has drawn more than 550 delegates from over 50 countries, including high-level representatives from global firms and trade envoys.

A major announcement came ahead of the summit’s opening, as BIDA confirmed that US-based Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has received approval to operate in Bangladesh. “We granted Starlink approval on March 29,” said Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Harun, BIDA and BEZA’s executive chairman, during a press briefing.

Chowdhury described 2025 as a “year of reform,” adding that Bangladesh is prioritizing long-term investor engagement. “You have to build a pipeline for channelling the investment and nurture it,” he said.

The summit includes sessions on key sectors such as the digital economy, agriculture, healthcare, and textiles. Today, a startup-focused event at InterContinental Dhaka kicks off discussions on the country’s innovation ecosystem.

Officials are also preparing for bilateral meetings on April 9 between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and major investors from China, Japan, and South Korea. Yunus is expected to address the summit and push for deeper investor partnerships.

Delegates will visit several key industrial zones, including the Korean EPZ and Japanese Economic Zone. Meanwhile, BIDA confirmed that Bangladesh is exploring a bilateral labor rights deal with the ILO and a space cooperation agreement with NASA.

The summit concludes on April 10 with breakout sessions and a cultural showcase.