DHAKA : BRAC Bank has signed a Participating Financial
Institution (PFI) Agreement with Bangladesh Bank to participate in the BDT
3,000 crore Export Diversification Refinance Scheme (EDRS), aimed at expanding
the country’s export base and supporting the growth of non-traditional export
sectors.
Introduced by Bangladesh Bank’s Sustainable Finance Department,
the scheme seeks to promote export diversification in line with the Export
Policy 2024–2027, with a particular focus on sectors that use locally sourced
raw materials. It also aims to reduce export market concentration and
strengthen the global competitiveness of emerging and non-traditional sectors,
a press release said.
Under the scheme, Bangladesh Bank will provide refinancing
to participating banks, enabling BRAC Bank to extend financing to
export-oriented businesses at a maximum interest rate of 7% for a tenure of up
to three years, including a six-month grace period.
Md. Shaheen Iqbal, CFA, Additional Managing Director and
Head of Wholesale Banking, BRAC Bank, and AKM Nurunnabi, Director, Sustainable
Finance Department, Bangladesh Bank, exchanged the agreement documents at
Bangladesh Bank Head Office in Dhaka on 1 September 2026.
