The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has urged policymakers to take immediate steps to reduce high lending rates in order to revive private investment and stimulate economic growth.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Bi-annual Economic State and Future Outlook of Bangladesh Economy: Private Sector Perspective” at the DCCI auditorium on Sunday, DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said lending rates exceeding 16% are discouraging both domestic and foreign investment.
He noted that rising borrowing costs have tightened credit conditions in the banking sector, causing private sector credit growth to fall to a record low of 6.10% in late 2025.According to DCCI, private investment declined to 22.03% of GDP in FY25, the lowest in a decade, due to high interest rates, policy uncertainty, political instability, and weak law and order.
Taskeen called on the central bank to introduce targeted refinancing and credit guarantee schemes for SMEs and manufacturing sectors to improve access to financing.He also highlighted that inflation remains elevated, with overall inflation at 8.58% in January FY26, while non-food inflation stood at 9.13%.
The DCCI president emphasized the need for structural reforms, digital tax systems, stronger revenue mobilisation, and improved logistics infrastructure to strengthen Bangladesh’s investment climate.
