Malaysia's ICT sector has a large unmet demand for skilled workers, offering major job opportunities for Bangladeshi professionals, Malaysian Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong said Thursday.

"If Bangladesh's large young population can be equipped with the necessary technical and professional training, significant employment opportunities could open up for them in Malaysia's labour market," Chin Tong made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Taskeen Ahmed at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Chin Tong said Bangladesh needs to further modernise its international payment systems to attract foreign investment and expand bilateral trade.

He said Malaysia's experience in growing Islamic financing, developing innovative financial products and building a more effective financial infrastructure could serve as a model for Bangladesh.

Taskeen said bilateral trade between the two countries stood at about $2.57 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

He said the two friendly Muslim-majority nations could open new areas of economic cooperation, and that their governments could work more closely to expand trade.

Taskeen said both countries could create new business opportunities by sharing trust, experience and technological capacity.

He said the Bangladesh government has recently announced long-term incentives and investment-friendly facilities for the renewable energy sector, including energy supply and solar power generation.

Citing Bangladesh's growing energy demand and renewable energy potential, he urged the Malaysian government to encourage its entrepreneurs to invest in the sector and build long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.

Taskeen said technology transfer, skills development and joint investment could make the cooperation more effective and sustainable.

The DCCI president said Bangladesh's mobile financial services (MFS) sector is highly popular and successful. "Its model is now used in several countries, including in the Middle East, and could be a useful example for Malaysia as well."

Bangladesh imports goods worth about $70 billion from around the world every year, making it a large and promising consumer market, Taskeen said.

DCCI president urged Malaysian exporters to expand their business operations in Bangladesh to tap into this market and boost exports.

He also stressed strengthening commercial partnerships, diversifying products and increasing mutual investment between the two countries.