In meeting with Alex Soros, Muhammad Yunus discussed rebuilding the economy of Bangladesh and carrying out some economic reforms.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a brief discussion about Bangladesh with newly-appointed Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio on 22 January.

Alex Soros, the son of Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros, met Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka. The development comes in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump freezing all financial aid abroad – including to Yunus’ interim government in Bangladesh.

Alex Soros, the son of American billionaire George Soros and chairperson of Open Society Foundations (OSF), met Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus. Yunus emphasised that the delegation expressed their support for the interim government’s reform agenda.

Bangladesh was heavily funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Numerous organizations in the country relied on this financial assistance, employing thousands of doctors,

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in a statement expressed his gratitude to President Donald Trump for exempting life-saving food and nutrition support for the displaced Rohingya sheltered in Bangladesh from the US aid freeze.

Apurba Jahangir, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, said that the United States will continue to provide aid

The latest move comes as the US government, through its donor agency USAID, announced the immediate cessation of all work in Bangladesh, including contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other procurement instruments.

Experts believe that there is a role of Islamic extremists and Pakistan’s ISI in the anti-Hasina movement. They also warn that targeting Bangladesh’s army chief is dangerous. Yunus and his Islamic allies are pushing for this.

The suspension comes as part of a broader review of foreign aid allocation, with a cable from the US State Department revealing a comprehensive "stop-work" order issued on Friday. The order affects all existing foreign assistance,

The US is the largest donor of foreign aid globally, disbursing $72 billion in 2023 alone. This included $401 million for Bangladesh and $232 million for Pakistan through USAID. With Trump's order in place, these funds remain frozen, affecting numerous projects in both countries.

This is the second meeting between Alex Soros and Muhammad Yunus in three months. The duo had met in New York in October - weeks after Yunus took charge following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime.