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Published : 29 Sep 2025, 05:46 PM
Imran Khan, an American investor of Bangladeshi origin, has expressed his interest in investing in Bangladesh after a meeting with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
Imran, 48, moved to the United States at 18 to pursue higher education and went on to build a reputation as an investment banker specialising in tech companies.
After meeting Imran on Saturday, New York time, Yunus encouraged him to consider opportunities in Bangladesh’s growing fintech, healthcare and social business sectors.
Imran, who serves as chairman of the Board at Aleph Holding, said he had long been inspired by Yunus’s mission to eradicate poverty and felt that the moment was right to contribute to his homeland, according to state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
“I am a great admirer of your work. You are a national pride for all of us,” Imran told Yunus, crediting the chief advisor’s influence as central to his decision to explore investments in Bangladesh.
A former investment banker at JP Morgan and Credit Suisse, Imran gained prominence for his role in Alibaba’s record-breaking initial public offering and for helping build Snapchat’s early value, boosting it from nothing to $728 million in just a matter of months.
Imran said he has been closely following Bangladesh’s investment climate since the interim government assumed office in August last year.
“The timing is favourable: the regulatory environment has become more enabling,” he said, adding that the rapid rise of fintech in particular presented promising opportunities.
“Bangladesh is a frontier market with an underpenetrated fintech opportunity. It has a large young population and the growth potential is enormous,” Khan said.
In 2018, Imran founded Proem Asset, an investment firm that focuses on sectors undergoing technology-driven transformation, particularly fintech. Its portfolio includes ventures in payments, digital infrastructure and related industries.
Yunus invited Imran to visit Bangladesh in the coming months to explore possibilities firsthand. He said he planned to make the trip.
“Bangladesh’s young people need role models like you. It’s an exciting time back home -- you can help inspire a new generation,” Yunus told him.
During the meeting, Yunus also suggested that top US investors allocate one percent of their investments toward social business initiatives, or contribute to a joint social business fund backed by like-minded companies. Khan welcomed the proposal and said he hoped to support it in the future.
SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed was also present at the meeting.
