Tamanna Rahman

23/05/2026

32 million borrowers. ~91% women. Tk 1.56 trillion outstanding.

And yet — only one major microfinance ecosystem has direct ownership linkage to a leading MFS platform.

Bangladesh’s microfinance sector is often considered one of the strongest in the developing world. But the digital gap inside the sector tells a very different story.

hashtag leads with the Agami App, deep bKash integration, climate-adaptive loans, migration financing, and Gold-Level Client Protection Certification recognition.

hashtag reaches 10.6 million members across 81,678 villages — but its client-facing digital infrastructure remains comparatively limited.

hashtag operates one of the world’s most efficient microfinance models:
99%+ repayment rates, lean operations, and replication across 38 countries. But product innovation remains relatively conservative.

Meanwhile, Tier-2 MFIs are moving aggressively:
hashtag is studying Indonesia’s fintech-MFI model.
hashtag is enabling cashless SME lending for e-commerce entrepreneurs.
hashtag built one of the country’s most integrated Health + Education + Microfinance delivery models.

23/05/2026

Bangladesh is now the 6th largest Muslim economy in the world.

$511 billion GDP. 180+ million people. And still, one of the most underestimated startup markets on the planet.

Here's what the data actually shows:
→ E-commerce pe*******on: less than 5% of its potential market captured
→ IT sector: 2,000+ registered firms, yet global outsourcing demand remains massively unmet
→ Agri-tech: a $50B+ agricultural base with near-zero digital infrastructure
→ EdTech: 40M+ students, and quality online education is still a luxury
People look at Bangladesh and see political risk. Currency depreciation. Inflation.

But we, who work in the ecosystem, look at it and see a $450B economy where first-movers still have room to dominate entire categories.

Because the hardest markets to enter are often the most rewarding to build in.
Bangladesh has the fundamentals that actually matter for business.
A young, digitally-native population hungry for better solutions,
operating costs 60% below regional peers.

The opportunity gap is not closing fast. It is still wide open.
The question is not whether Bangladesh is ready for ambitious entrepreneurs.
The question is whether you are ready for Bangladesh.

23/05/2026

BSEC’s 19 May 2026 directive significantly opens up the SME platform by allowing individual investors with at least BDT 10 lakh (1 million) in listed securities portfolio value (market or cost, whichever is higher) to subscribe under QIO, while general investors with BDT 30 lakh can trade on the SME platform. Foreign investors can also participate in both trading and QIO subscription, while stock exchanges, CDBL, and DPs must automate investor eligibility verification and registration.

This should improve liquidity, broaden investor participation, and make SME fundraising more practical and attractive in Bangladesh’s capital market.

23/05/2026

Using absolute level of paidup capital to decide dividend policy of banks is not smart. Global banking regulation has evolved significantly over time with BASEL III coming after GFC. A well designed regulation about banking dividend needs only two parameters.

1. A minimum level of capital adequacy ratio before bank can give cash dividend. For e.g. 13.5% (1% above BASEL III level).

2. No banks with provision shortfall or deferral can pay dividend.

That is all it takes. But the guidelines that BB has now imposed will create the following scenario.

A small to mid sized bank with CAR of 15% (much above requirement) will be unable to pay cash dividends for many years and over time their CAR will exceed 20% or more which is unnecesary. This bank will have to pay penalty tax due to NBR circulars. Stock price will fall as dividend seeking investors will exit. Overall I dont see any benefit from this outcome.

P.S. Based on this guideline Midland Bank a fairly well managed bank with CAR of 15.5% cannot give cash dividend for more than 20 years.

17/05/2026

In 1995, Elon Musk applied for a job at Netscape… but was too shy to even talk to anyone.

He had sent in his resume. He showed up at the office. He stood there… waiting for a moment, hoping someone would notice him.

But no one did.
And Elon, a quiet, awkward young man in a world full of loud voices, couldn’t bring himself to approach anyone.
He walked away that day, no job, no connections, no backup plan.

But here’s what makes this story incredible:

Instead of letting that moment define him as a failure…

He decided to define himself.

He started Zip2, his first company.
With barely any money. With no status. With no guarantees.
Just a belief that if no one was going to open the door for him, he’d build a whole new door.

Years later, that same man would build rockets with SpaceX, redefine transportation with Tesla, launch Starlink to connect the world, and take over Twitter (now X) to reshape how we communicate.

Why? Because he didn’t wait to be chosen. He chose himself.

So if you’ve ever been ignored… overlooked… rejected…

If you've ever stood silently, wishing you had the courage to speak…

Remember: Even the richest man in the world started there.

Let your silence become your fire.
Let rejection become redirection.
Build your Zip2.

14/05/2026

14/05/2026

Big news for Bangladesh's startup ecosystem!

Bangladesh Bank's FEID Circular No. 01 (March 8, 2026) introduces landmark liberalizations in foreign equity transfer rules — and at Silvercrew Venture, we believe this is a game-changer for startups and investors alike.

Here's what changed and why it matters:
✅No Bangladesh Bank approval needed for share transfers up to BDT 1 billion — faster exits for foreign investors means more appetite to invest in the first place.

✅ No independent valuation report required for deals under BDT 10 million — dramatically reducing costs and red tape for early-stage deals.

✅ Three internationally accepted valuation methods (NAV, Market Comparable, DCF) now formally recognized — giving startups fair, globally-benchmarked valuations.

✅ AD banks now empowered to process repatriation within 5 working days — speed that global investors demand.

✅ Price-to-Sales (P/S) multiples specifically recognized for tech and startup companies — finally, a framework that reflects how modern startups are valued.

For years, bureaucratic friction in foreign equity exits has been one of the biggest deterrents to international VC investment in Bangladesh. This circular directly addresses that friction.

14/05/2026

PE firms are still paying analysts $200k a year to build LBO models manually.

I built 6 Claude agents to do it in 24 hours.

I am running LIVE workshop on it.

Here's the architecture:

Agent 01 — LBO Model Validator
Stress-tests your entry multiple. Runs sources & uses. Flags if the deal structure holds under pressure.

Agent 02 — Debt Structure Agent
Maps your senior / mezz / P*K layers. Tests covenant headroom. Tells you exactly where the refinancing cliff is.

Agent 03 — EBITDA Quality Agent
Builds the normalised EBITDA bridge. Scrutinises every add-back. Separates real earnings from management fiction.

Agent 04 — Cash Flow Agent
Models debt service coverage. Runs the cash sweep schedule. Flags working capital traps before you sign.

Agent 05 — Returns Agent
IRR sensitivity matrix across 3, 5 and 7-year holds. MOIC at every exit multiple. Full equity bridge to exit.

Agent 06 — Management Agent
Scores rollover %, ratchet structure, and key man risk. Outputs the 100-day value creation plan.

All 6 agents run in parallel.
One orchestrator pulls it together.
One IC memo lands in your inbox.

Before your deal team finishes the first model tab.

This is what I teach in my PE Workshop.

The actual system — built, tested, and running across real deals.

If you're a PE firm still doing this manually, you're not losing to a competitor.
You're losing to a system.

14/05/2026

7 EXITS, 12 MONTHS, EVERY EXIT PATHWAY in the PLAYBOOK. Most of us in venture talk about investment velocity. Our last 12 months have been defined by something rarer: Exit Velocity — 7 exits, every exit pathway hit in the playbook.

While we're still letting last week's exits — an M&A and an IPO — sink in, we paused to look back at what Team VenturEast accomplished over the past year. Behind each exit are years of founder grit, patient capital, and quiet conviction.

→ Main Board IPO (Kissht)
→ SME IPO (e2E Rail)
→ Global M&A (VideoVerse acquired by MinuteMedia)
→ 2 Domestic M&As (ITC Limited acquiring 24 Mantra; Emami Ltd acquiring IncNut Digital)
→ Large Financial Secondary (MoEngage, in a $275 million raise)
→ Single-Asset Continuation Vehicle (Orion Edutech Pvt. Ltd., by Dinesh K Agarwal)

They all come home in the last 12 months - "A decade in 12 months".

All of this against the backdrop of AI upheaval, tariffs, and macro headwinds, and global geopolitical uncertainty. The markets have been extraordinarily volatile and unforgiving. We want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank our founders, ecosystem partners, and the years of quiet conviction behind each of these outcomes.

14/05/2026

🌱 Bangladesh Bank has introduced a dedicated refinancing facility of BDT 1,000 crore under the Green Transformation Fund (GTF) to support rural and local industries in adopting sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies.

The initiative will promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation, and green industrial development through low-cost financing facilities.

This is a significant step toward sustainable industrialization, export competitiveness, and environmentally responsible economic growth in Bangladesh. ♻️🇧🇩

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag
Activate to view larger image,

14/05/2026

loomberg setup 👇

What you're replacing:

▫️ Bloomberg Terminal: $28,000
▫️ Sell-side research: $600-$1,500/month
▫️ Junior analyst (fully loaded): $150,000
Total: ~$250,000+

The 12 prompts inside:

▫️ Institutional Screener
▫️ Full Equity Research Report
▫️ DCF with 3 scenarios
▫️ Red Flag Scanner
▫️ Earnings Call Decode
▫️ Moat Audit
▫️ Bull vs Bear Pressure Test
▫️ Portfolio Risk Audit
▫️ Position Sizing Decision, and more