Low-cost bus, light rail options in focus

The new BNP government is likely to adopt a strategic transport policy centred on bus and light rail-based public transport in the capital, marking a major shift from the previous government's focus on mega-transport projects that largely failed to cover...

Financing family card, farm-loan waiver costs Tk 11.4b soon

Financing new government's flagship schemes family card and farm-loan waiver cost the exchequer Tk 11.4 billion immediately that has to be managed with from the current national budget. The government has already allocated a lump-sum Tk 400 million from the...

Draft whistleblower rules seek to silence market insiders

The proposed whistleblower rules prohibit individuals from sharing information with anyone after submitting it to the market regulator. Experts say this restriction undermines the very purpose the rules are intended to serve.They have questioned the regulator's motive, arguing that if...

Walking a fine line over Gulf crisis

The war in the Gulf region has put Bangladeshi migrant workers in their host countries in great jeopardy. It is not just about their safety and security due to the war raging through the region. Iranian drone and missile attacks...

Build a system, not just a scheme

With the pilot phase of the Family Card scheduled to begin on March 10 in selected upazilas, Bangladesh stands at an important institutional turning point. The program is moving from promise to implementation. At this stage, the real question is...

Urban upper-middle class's Eid trend

With Ramadan well underway and the city already beginning to hum with the quiet anticipation that builds in its latter half, thoughts are turning - as they always do - towards Eid. For millions of Bangladeshis, the breaking of the...

Straightforward savings

City Bank's Ramadan 2026 campaign is packed but clearly structured, focusing on cashback, dining and reward points. Cashback on prominent lifestyle brands includes (a) 25 per cent cashback (maximum Tk 1,500 per transaction) for American Express Platinum Reserve cards; and...

When the bonus arrives

Every year, as the moon of Ramadan wanes, a singular question occupies the minds of Bangladesh's salaried workforce: where does the Eid bonus go? Across sectors from banking and civil service to garments, telecoms, and NGOs, millions of jobholders receive...

T-bill yields slip below policy rate after 5 months

Yields on treasury bills fell below the central bank's policy rate on Sunday for the first time in more than five months, reflecting ample liquidity in the banking system and muted demand for private-sector credit.Bankers said surplus funds, coupled with...

Govt moves to create digital database of 30,000 canals

The government has moved to create a comprehensive digital database to identify around 30,000 canals -- both functional and derelict -- across the country, while assigning institutional ownership based on canal size to bring discipline on excavation, restoration and maintenance...

Extortion, subscription and donation

Not all extortions are extortions. Collection of mutually agreed money from transport operators, according to a minister of the newly installed cabinet, is not extortion. He explains, "What is described as extortion on the roads" cannot be considered extortion because...

War of attrition or for regime change?

The much-anticipated attack on Iran by the US finally took place last Saturday morning when people on the streets of Tehran, the country's capital, were on their way to work. But it was not only in Tehran, the attacks were...

Central bank and monetary policy

For monetary policymakers, a Ph.D. in economics-by itself-is not enough; in fact, a formal degree in economics is not even the decisive criterion. The issue is not the title but the mastery of the craft. The current Federal Reserve Chair,...

New open-ended funds outperform older ones amid market slump

Many of the mutual funds launched over the past five to seven years have outperformed older funds, supported by what industry insiders describe as diversified investments made after the market had already undergone significant erosion.Most of these funds were floated...

Year-round tax return filing in the offing

The government is considering allowing individual taxpayers to submit income tax returns throughout the year, replacing the existing system of fixed deadlines that are routinely extended.A new provision is likely to be included in the National Budget for FY 2026-27...

Tying the knot, breaking the bank: lavish weddings in Bangladesh

Traditionally, weddings are a form of celebration where family, friends enjoy food and music, following the custom while two people get married. Nonetheless, within the recent past, the nature of wedding ceremonies within South Asia has been changing from being...

Challenges facing the new government

Unarguably, the BNP-led government now in charge of the helm of state power is in the birth throes of new governance. Though no stranger in running a government in Bangladesh, BNP finds itself facing a new set of challenges- political,...

Why is anti-mosquito drive failing?

Some recent media reports have highlighted the mosquito menace bedevilling life after sunset. Mosquitoes seem to be breeding unchecked in the absence of any effective eradication strategy by the city corporations and municipalities. The mosquito population is so dense in...

Govt gambles on BB governor appointment

The appointment of a businessman as the governor of the country's central bank has come as a complete surprise to many. Surprise, because never before a businessman was chosen as head of the Bangladesh Bank. The departure, which many consider...

Cybersecurity bulwark to be built under aided project

A security bulwark is being built around Bangladesh's burgeoning digital activity under a Tk 6.7-billion project to ensure cybersecurity against threats, hacks and heists, officials say.The Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD) under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information...

Preparation underway to compensate small investors in 5 merged banks

Government authorities prepare to compensate the small investors in the five distressed private banks merged into Sammilito Islami Bank late last year, officials say.Instructed by the high-ups of the new government, the Financial Institutions Division (FID) is now calculating how...

Ekushey's dignity in the age of word bombs

February 21 is the self-awakening day to the Bengali nation. Through the Language Movement, Bengalis realized that state identity is not built on religion. It is built by language and culture. This realization led to the rise of Bengali nationalism...

What the new govt and embassies can do

Bangladesh's economy is significantly supported by expatriates' income, or remittances. Millions of Bangladeshi workers employed across the globe enrich the country's foreign exchange reserves through their labour, skills, and sacrifice. The money they send not only supports the reserves but...

Beggars may not have a choice but the government should have

Who says beggars have no choice? They surely have choices for selecting their way of drawing their would-be benevolent public's attention. The range of ways to attract notice is vastly wide. Some of those are ingenious and some others are...

Egg auction shows supply and demand at work

The supply of eggs has exceeded demand for eggs, causing a low price, which has been sustained for months. When egg prices were high, government officers alleged that the egg market was controlled by a syndicate. Low prices have proven...

LGD proposes Tk 12.3b scheme to employ 79,680 women

The Local Government Division (LGD), under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, has proposed a new Tk 12.3-billion scheme aimed at keeping 70,440 kilometres of rural roads motorable through regular and systematic maintenance, officials said.According to sources...

E-payment system expanded

All vehicle users will now be able to pay tolls on road bridges electronically as the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has opened its e-payment system to all banks and mobile banking platforms, aiming for a more efficient, transparent, and...

TT queen's comeback from the brink

Munira Rahman Helen was the first table tennis queenof Bangladesh. She first won the women’s singles crownat the Second Bangladesh Open Table Tennis Tournament organised by BUET in 1973 while still a student of class ten; and then she won...

Why Trump's tariff policy suffers reversal

In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump of America presented an update of the United States, highlighting his successes in the first year of his second term. But amid the rising tension over the conflict between the...

Polls spending lifts Jan VAT take

A surge in election-related spending in recent months appears to have provided a short-term boost to value-added tax (VAT) collection, with January 2026 revenue standing Tk 30 billion above the July-December monthly average.Provisional data suggest campaign-driven economic activity injected liquidity...