NCC Bank PLC has launched a specialized China Desk named ‘NCC China Connect’ with the aim of providing integrated banking services to Chinese business enterprises and investors operating in Bangladesh.
The main objective of this initiative is to accelerate bilateral trade, investment and business growth between Bangladesh and China.
The China Desk was inaugurated on Wednesday, October 14, at the ‘China National Day Celebration 2026’ held at the Grand Ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel, Dhaka. The event was organized by the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) in collaboration with NCC Bank.
The event was held on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The chief guest at the event was State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, MP.
Liu Yuyin, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Bangladesh, attended the event as the special guest.
Members of the BCCCI include NCC Bank chairman Mohammed Nurun Newaz Salim, vice-chairman Abdus Salam, director and past chairman Amjadul Ferdous Chowdhury, director and executive committee chairman Khairul Alam Chaklader, director Md Moinuddin, director Mohammed Sazzad Un Newaz, director and past vice-chairman Tanzina Ali, and directors Syed Asif Nizamuddin, Shamima Newaz, Morshedul Alam Chaklader, and Nahid Banu. The membership also includes independent director Meer Sajed-Ul-Basher and independent director and audit committee chairman Md Amirul Islam.
Managing director M Shamsul Arefin, additional managing directors M Khurshed Alam, Md Zakir Anam and Mohammed Jamal Uddin Mazumder, and deputy managing directors Mohammed Mizanur Rahman and Md Habibur Rahman also attended the event, alongside senior bank officials and leaders of Chinese businesses in Bangladesh.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, MP, highlighted the importance of Bangladesh-China relations in expanding trade, investment and economic cooperation.
Expressing hope that initiatives like NCC Bank’s China Desk would facilitate business activities between the two countries, she noted that such efforts would further strengthen bilateral economic relations.
Special guest Liu Yuyin welcomed the initiative to launch a specialized banking platform for Chinese business enterprises in Bangladesh. He expressed hope that the Desk would play a role in expanding bilateral trade and investment, increasing business connectivity, and further strengthening the economic partnership between Bangladesh and China.
NCC Bank chairman Mohammad Nurun Newaz Salim stated that the launch of the China Desk reflected the bank’s commitment to supporting Chinese business enterprises and expanding bilateral trade and investment between Bangladesh and China.
NCC Bank managing director M Shamsul Arefin stated that China is Bangladesh’s largest trading partner and a key investment source. He noted that through "NCC China Connect," the bank aims to offer integrated and specialized banking services to Chinese enterprises to accelerate bilateral trade, investment, and sustainable growth.
Operated under the Multinational Corporate Banking Division, the new desk will serve as a central contact point for Chinese entrepreneurs. It will provide Mandarin-language support alongside trade finance, working capital, project financing, foreign exchange transactions, bank guarantees, cash management, and digital banking. Arefin added that by leveraging correspondent banking relationships with 30 banks in China and a global network of nearly 400 correspondent banks, the institution is committed to facilitating and expediting cross-border foreign trade transaction settlements with China.
In addition, work is also underway to create opportunities for Chinese trade transaction settlement in the Chinese currency, the Renminbi (RMB).
Why it matters
This initiative strengthens Bangladesh-China economic ties by providing dedicated banking support to Chinese businesses operating in Bangladesh, potentially accelerating bilateral trade and investment flows.