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Bangladesh is now standing at a very important economic turning point. The country is preparing to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category in 2026, and the vision of becoming a developed nation by 2041 is no longer just a political slogan—it is now a real economic goal. However, an important question remains: where will the next engine of economic growth come from? Large industries and export-oriented sectors are certainly important, but sustainable and inclusive growth usually depends on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and emerging startup businesses. In this context, the key question is how the country’s top business organization, FBCCI, can lead an SME and startup revolution in Bangladesh.
According to the latest Economic Census of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) conducted in 2013, there are more than 7.8 million economic establishments in the country, and about 99 percent of them are small and medium enterprises. Later studies and analyses by both government and private organizations show that the SME sector creates more than 80 percent of total employment in Bangladesh and contributes around 25–30 percent to the national GDP. Reports from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank also identify SMEs as one of the main drivers of employment generation and inclusive economic growth in the country.
At the same time, the startup ecosystem in Bangladesh has grown significantly over the last decade. Data from LightCastle Partners and the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) shows that Bangladeshi startups attracted around 400 million US dollars in foreign and local investment in 2021—the highest in the country’s history. Although global investment slowed down in 2022 and 2023, startup activities in sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, logistics, and health technology have continued to expand.
