The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MCCI), and Policy Exchange Bangladesh on Thursday (17 October, 2025) launched the Bangladesh Business Climate Index (BBX) 2024–25, marking the fourth consecutive year of its publication. The BBX serves as a flagship initiative providing a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of the country’s private sector challenges and opportunities. The initiative was supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Australian Government.
The BBX 2024–25 scores 59.69, reflecting a slight improvement from the previous year’s score of 58.75 but remains in severe bottleneck category. However, the overall business environment remains challenging due to political unrest, geopolitical uncertainty, increased input costs, inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, exchange rate volatility, and continued investment uncertainty.
The launch event took place at the MCCI Gulshan office, bringing together senior policymakers, business leaders, private sector leaders, industry-business experts and development partners. Honorable Commerce Adviser to the Government of Bangladesh, Mr. Sk. Bashir Uddin, graced the occasion as Chief Guest, while Mr. Ben Carson, Australian Trade and Investment Commissioner at Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Bangladesh, joined as Guest of Honor.
Mr. Kamran T. Rahman, President of the MCCI, inaugurated the event with his welcome remarks, setting the tone for the evening’s discussions. Dr. M. Masrur Reaz, Chairman and CEO of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, delivered the keynote presentation. While distinguished panelists included Mr. Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI); Mr. Kazuiki Kataoka, Country Representative of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); and Ms. Rupali Chowdhury, Managing Director of Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited.
The private sector has been the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy, driving investment, growth, and employment. Yet, the absence of a homegrown index to monitor the business environment had long left a critical information gap. To address this, MCCI and Policy Exchange Bangladesh jointly developed and introduced the first-ever BBX in 2021. Since then, the Index has evolved into a trusted and widely referenced tool shaping policy dialogue, informing reforms, and tracking progress toward a more competitive and enabling business environment.
