Goldfinch International, the emerging-markets arm of London-based financier and producer Goldfinch, is taking its government-tied playbook into Bangladesh and Indonesia. The move pairs a proposed Bangladeshi soccer league with an Indonesian film joint venture, and points to a wider Global South build-out.
The Bangladesh play: a league before the league exists
Goldfinch International’s local partner is 1CS Holdings Limited, led by Nazir Alam. The two companies have joined Fablemill, the Gulf-based advisory Goldfinch already works with, and Germany’s Akani Group to form the Bangladesh Strategic Partnership (BSP). The consortium is built to draw foreign investment, institutional ties and skills training into the country’s sports and creative sectors.
Earlier this month, BSP and the Bangladesh Football Federation signed an MoU to study a proposed Bangladesh Super League. The competition would blend existing clubs with regional franchises and bring in professional governance, commercial know-how and outside capital. The consortium plans to approach:
- British and European clubs
- Family offices and specialist investors
- Members of the Bangladeshi diaspora
Beyond the league, the group is exploring soccer facilities, academies, athlete rehabilitation, creative skills training and sports employment. It has also opened conversations with the Bangladesh Olympic Association, the ICT Division, Startup Bangladesh and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and is separately weighing a National Creative Economy Partnership covering international production, creative infrastructure, IP and technology.
“Bangladesh has extraordinary potential in sport, technology and the creative economy, particularly through the talent and aspirations of Generation Z.”
BSP executive chairman Nazir Alam called the MoU a first step toward a wider ecosystem of investment, skills, employment and international collaboration.
The Indonesia piece: local stories, global sales
In Indonesia, Goldfinch has entered a joint venture opportunity partnership with Jakarta creative company Rangkai. The deal follows an MoU signed with Rangkai and the Jakarta Film Commission at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Rangkai contributes its standing in the Indonesian filmmaking community, its local distribution record and its government and industry relationships. Goldfinch adds global sales, production financing and deal structuring. The venture will work across community building, distribution, global sales, production and advisory work, with the aim of putting Indonesian talent and stories in front of overseas buyers and investors.
Rangkai CEO Redemptus Rangga Raditya said the company has spent five years building ties with filmmakers, government and audiences. “In Goldfinch we have a partner that brings the international reach and financing experience to take Indonesian stories to the world,” he said.
Why the template matters
The strategy mirrors the Gulf playbook Goldfinch International launched at Cannes this year with Fablemill, led by Eman Alsabah. Supporting the platform are a production debt fund for emerging markets, launched in 2025 and expected to deploy capital in early 2027, and Vault 47, a Singapore branded entertainment studio formed in late 2025 with Virtue.
Goldfinch International co-founder and COO Phil McKenzie framed the role as bringing capital, structure and international relationships that turn access into leagues, studios and skilled jobs. The Commonwealth Creative Industries Alliance, launched this year with the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network, now reaches 56 nations. In November, the Goldfinch team will promote the alliance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda and unveil more development programs there.
What screen businesses should watch
For media planners and entertainment marketers, the signal is that Bangladesh and Indonesia are being framed as co-production and IP markets, not just territories to sell into. The structures are deliberately hybrid: a league plus facilities, and a film venture plus advisory, distribution and global sales.
The immediate test is deployment. The Bangladesh competition remains at MoU stage, and the Indonesia arrangement is a venture opportunity partnership rather than a fully capitalised entity. These are long-duration market-building plays with state relationships at the centre.
Still, the direction is consistent: capital is moving toward young audiences and under-built creative economies, with local partners who can open institutional doors.
Source: Variety
