United News of Bangladesh

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said it will take at least two years to resolve Bangladesh’s ongoing gas and electricity shortages. “The problem with gas and electricity will not be resolved within six months or a year. It will take at least two years,” he said. Explaining the timeframe, Khosru said even setting up infrastructure such as floating LNG terminals will take one and a half to two years, making an immediate solution to the energy crisis impossible. He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a luncheon discussion titled “Building Investor Confidence: From Policy Reforms to Effective Implementation”, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) at a city hotel. Addressing the country’s banking sector, the minister said it is facing a serious capital deficit due to massive money laundering, and that the government is actively exploring alternative financing mechanisms and dedicated investment funds to support economic growth. "There is a serious deficit in the banking sector as a huge amount of money has been laundered out of the country. Depositors are struggling to get their money back, making immediate capitalisation essential," he said. Khosru noted that in response to this structural shortfall, Bangladesh is architecting alternative financial channels and receiving positive responses from foreign countries and international organisations to create dedicated investment funds. Addressing structural bottlenecks in business and trade, he acknowledged that Bangladesh remains an "over-regulated" country where existing government regulations and regulatory systems are not functioning effectively.