BRAC Bank partners with Infrastructure Finance Fund for SME financing

BRAC Bank PLC has partnered with Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL) to expand access to affordable financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on strengthening the food value chain.

Under the partnership, BRAC Bank has joined a low-cost loan programme as a participating financial institution funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to support the Food Value Chain Improvement Project.

The initiative aims to enhance SME capacity in priority sectors by improving access to long-tenure financing at competitive rates, according to a press release.

The partnership agreement was signed on December 17 at BRAC Bank's head office in Dhaka, by Md Shaheen Iqbal, deputy managing director and head of wholesale banking of BRAC Bank, and SM Anisuzzaman, chief executive officer of BIFFL.

Tareq Refat Ullah Khan, managing director and CEO of BRAC Bank, Syed Abdul Momen, additional managing director and head of SME banking, Tanveer Kamal, head of structured finance, and other senior officials from both organisations were present at the ceremony.

Commenting on the partnership, Tareq Refat Ullah Khan said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to building a more resilient and inclusive SME ecosystem.

He noted that access to affordable, long-term financing remains a critical enabler of sustainable enterprise growth, particularly for SMEs operating across the food value chain.

By leveraging BIFFL's funding structure alongside JICA's development financing, BRAC Bank will channel affordable capital to SMEs to support investment, expansion and long-term resilience in an increasingly competitive business environment.