Development Finance Partners

A large share of Bangladesh's public investment is financed by external partners. This is the donor side of the twin: the bilateral governments, UN agencies, and multilateral banks the Economic Relations Division negotiates with, the modalities they lend or grant through, the sectors their money flows to, and the institutions large enough to publish a hard dollar figure.

32
partners tracked
14
bilateral
6
multilateral banks
11
UN agencies
25
ERD-registered

By type

Bilateral
14
UN agency
11
Multilateral bank
6
Other
1

By modality

Mixed (loans and grants)
13
Grant
10
Technical assistance
6
Concessional loan
3

The largest disclosed financiers

The 6 partners that publish a hard figure. Cumulative commitment and active portfolio are different measures, reported by each institution on its own basis and year, and are not directly comparable.

Partner Cumulative commitment Active portfolio As of
World Bank (WB) $45.00B $14.08B n/a
Asian Development Bank (ADB) not disclosed $10.80B 2025
Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim) $7.86B not disclosed n/a
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) $3.30B not disclosed n/a
OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) $1.24B not disclosed n/a
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) $0.91B $0.52B n/a

Where the money goes

Most common focus sectors across the partner roster, counted by the number of partners naming each.

energy
6
climate resilience
5
education
5
health
5
transport
3
gender equality
3
agriculture
3
water and sanitation
2
humanitarian assistance
2
social protection
2
nutrition
2
governance
2

The full partner roster

Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD)
Bilateral, France, in Bangladesh since 2012
ERD
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Multilateral bank, in Bangladesh since 1973
ERD
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
Multilateral bank, in Bangladesh since 2016
ERD
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Bilateral, Germany, in Bangladesh since 1972
ERD
Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim)
Bilateral, India, in Bangladesh since 2010
ERD
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1978
Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
Bilateral, Canada, in Bangladesh since 1972
ERD
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1978
ERD
International Labour Organization (ILO)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1973
ERD
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1998
ERD
ERD
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Bilateral, Japan, in Bangladesh since 1973
ERD
KfW Development Bank (KfW)
Bilateral, Germany
ERD
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
Bilateral, South Korea, in Bangladesh since 1993
ERD
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Bilateral, Switzerland, in Bangladesh since 1976
ERD
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1950
ERD
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1972
ERD
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1993
World Bank (WB)
Multilateral bank, in Bangladesh since 1972
ERD
World Food Programme (WFP)
UN agency, in Bangladesh since 1974

Method and sources

Source: the BDPolicyLab Donor Watch tracker, 32 development partners compiled from each institution's official country pages and portfolio dashboards and the Economic Relations Division partner framework, each record carrying its own source list (119 sources in total). 25 are registered ERD partners. Dollar figures are shown only for the 6 institutions that publish one; each is recorded on that institution's own basis (cumulative commitments since inception, or active portfolio at a stated year) and scope, which differ, so the column totals are not summed and the figures are not directly comparable. Where an institution's communications cite a larger all-in figure on a different scope, the narrower verifiable number is used and the divergence is noted at the record level. For every partner, see Donor Watch.