Dhaka: Imran Khan, a prominent American investor of Bangladeshi origin, met with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday, expressing a keen interest in investing in Bangladesh.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Khan, who is also the Chairman of the Board at Aleph Holding, was deeply inspired by Professor Yunus’s efforts to eradicate poverty and saw this as an opportune moment to invest in his homeland. Professor Yunus invited Khan to explore investment opportunities in Bangladesh’s rapidly growing fintech, healthcare, and social business sectors.
Khan, known for his significant contributions to the tech industry as a former investment banker at JP Morgan and Credit Suisse, rose to fame for playing a pivotal role in Alibaba’s record-breaking IPO and for his work with Snapchat, which he helped grow significantly in value. During the meeting, Khan highlighted his long-standing interest in Bangladesh’s investment climate, especially since the interim government took office in August last year.
“The timing is favorable: the regulatory environment has become more enabling,” Khan observed, indicating his enthusiasm for the country’s burgeoning fintech sector. He emphasized the vast potential for growth, citing Bangladesh’s large young population and underpenetrated fintech market.
Khan is also the founder and CEO of Proem Asset, an investment firm focusing on technology-driven sectors, particularly fintech. His portfolio extends to payments, digital infrastructure, and related industries. Professor Yunus extended an invitation to Khan to visit Bangladesh in the coming months to explore investment opportunities firsthand, an offer Khan accepted with plans to visit soon.
During their discussions, Professor Yunus proposed that top US investors allocate a portion of their investments toward social business initiatives or participate in creating a social business fund. Khan welcomed the suggestion and expressed a desire to support such initiatives in the future. The meeting was also attended by SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed.