BRAC Bank and Bangladesh Bank have signed a participation agreement under the central bank’s Tk3,000 crore revolving Refinance Scheme to establish an agriculture-based economic centre in northern Bangladesh, aiming to expand production, strengthen value chains and support income-generating activities.
The agreement was signed at Bangladesh Bank’s head office on Saturday, 12 September 2026. The scheme will provide financing at a maximum interest rate of 7 per cent to farmers and agriculture-based businesses in districts under the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
The initiative will cover four stages of the agricultural value chain — production and preservation; transportation, marketing and infrastructure; manufacturing and processing of agriculture-based products; and export.
The financing facility will support crop production, fisheries, livestock, agricultural machinery, cold-chain facilities, warehouses, food processing, dairy processing, seed production and other agriculture-based industries.
Representing Bangladesh Bank at the signing ceremony were Deputy Governor Dr Md Kabir Ahmed, Executive Director and Spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan and Sustainable Finance Department Director Chowdhury Liakat Ali.
BRAC Bank was represented by Kazi Dilruba Akter, Head of SME Business Support, and Liton Kumar Biswas, Senior Relationship Manager for MFI and Agriculture Finance.
Syed Abdul Momen, Additional Managing Director and Head of SME Banking at BRAC Bank, said the scheme would strengthen the bank’s agriculture initiatives by helping farmers access financing across the value chain, from production to selling final products.
“The agricultural sector, especially our farmers, is the driving force behind the country’s economic growth. At BRAC Bank, we have always tried to finance them at a lower cost,” Momen said.
He added that Bangladesh Bank’s refinance scheme would help energise the rural economy by providing farmers easier access to finance and markets.
BRAC Bank said its participation in the scheme aligns with its focus on inclusive finance and agricultural development, supporting farmers, rural entrepreneurs and agriculture-based businesses in the northern region.
