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Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Yingming Yang has said the bank expects Bangladesh’s economic growth to gradually strengthen, with GDP projected to expand by 3.7 per cent in FY2026 and 4.5 per cent in FY2027.
“Our vision is to help Bangladesh realise its ambition of becoming an upper-middle-income country and a trillion-dollar economy by 2034. ADB remains committed to supporting a more productive, investment-driven and resilient economy that creates opportunities across the country and improves the lives of all Bangladeshis,” he said.
The ADB vice-president for South, Central and West Asia made the remarks in an exclusive interview with a news agency.
Yang visited Bangladesh from August 9 to 13 and held senior-level consultations on ADB’s next Country Partnership Strategy (CPS), continued policy dialogue on key reform and investment priorities, and support for operationalising the Integrated Growth Network Development (IGND) initiative.
He said Bangladesh had demonstrated considerable economic resilience, supported by strong remittance inflows, sustained services activity and a dynamic private sector.
“The next opportunity is to translate this resilience into a deeper economic transformation,” he said.
Maintaining the momentum, however, will require continued progress on structural reforms, according to the ADB vice-president.
He said recent steps to strengthen tax administration, improve banking sector governance, address non-performing loans, enhance financial sector discipline and move towards a more market-based exchange rate framework were encouraging.
“Looking ahead, Bangladesh can unlock stronger and more inclusive growth by improving the investment climate, expanding reliable and affordable energy, strengthening public investment management, diversifying exports, building workforce skills, creating opportunities for women and young people, and enhancing resilience,” Yang said.
He noted that private sector development and making markets more investable would be central to this agenda.
According to Yang, creating a more conducive investment environment would allow private capital to flow into productive sectors, generate employment and support sustainable economic growth.
He said ADB would remain committed to working with Bangladesh as it pursues reforms and investment priorities aimed at building a more productive, inclusive and resilient economy.
