Govt lends Tk 10b to troubled ICB to invest in stocks

The Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) gets a Tk10-billion in interest-bearing government loan to invest in stocks to resuscitate bearish bourses of the country, sources say. It's seen as a significant move as the decision comes just days after reports...

Bhutan's first transit shipment thru Ctg port set for release today

CHATTOGRAM, Nov 24: Bhutan's maiden transit shipment through Chattogram port is scheduled for delivery today (Tuesday), two months after its arrival was delayed due to pending approvals from multiple agencies.The container, unloaded in September, remained stuck as several clearances were...

Tax target revised upward by Tk 540b

The government has reviser the tax-revenue-collection target upward by Tk 540 billion to meet a growing need for internal resources to manage budget deficit.Debt service has become a major headache for the government as loans taken from foreign and domestic...

Tradecap trading halted after licence renewal withheld with no explanation

Trading at Tradecap Stock Brokerage was suspended on Monday because the securities regulator did not respond to its licence renewal application when the Dhaka bourse sought clearance.The brokerage firm said it had worked for nine months to ensure compliance with...

Excessive use of antibiotics on broiler chicken farms

Most poultry farmers who grow broiler chickens give unnecessary "preventive" antibiotics to healthy chickens. The farmers are advised to use these drugs by dealers. Dealers are middlemen who have no understanding of diseases or treatment. Dealers advise farmers to use...

The state of global economy

The world economy has been subjected to destiabilisation and uncertainty for quite some time. Factors contributing to this unforeseen situation are: (a) Lingering effects of supply chain disruptions caused by the 2020 Covid pandemic; (b) the Russia-Ukraine war adding to...

An engine hotter than the sun

Scientists have made an engine that is hotter than the sun's core. But how hot is the sun's core? The temperature of the sun's core is around 15 million degrees Celsius. Usually, the temperature of a typical star's (our sun...

Coverage of defence purchases by Sena Insurance opposed by public, private peers

Stakeholders have strongly opposed a plea by Sena Kalyan Sangstha (SKS) to allow its concern, Sena Insurance, to underwrite insurance risks relating to defence purchases, terming the move a violation of the Insurance Corporation Act.They said the Act entitles only...

Refiners seek sharp hike in edible oil prices

Edible-oil refiners have proposed increasing the prices of soybean and palm oils by Tk 10 and Tk 19 per litre respectively, citing rising import costs and international market volatility, sources said.The Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (BVORVMA)...

Consumption-led economic dynamism in sight

Rising consumption of goods spurs economic activity and demand-driven imports particularly amid some spending splurge on upcoming national elections, in a rebound from persisting slumps.Consumption contracted in fiscal years 2023 and FY 2024 consecutively amid persistent high inflation, but industry...

Rising heat, rising risk: regional policy actions

2024 was the hottest on record globally. In Asia and the Pacific, Bangladesh was the worst-hit country, with about 33 million people affected by lower crop yields that destabilised food systems, along with extensive school closures and many cases of...

Vulnerability of Bangladesh to a major earthquake

The world experiences millions of earthquakes each year. But not many can be felt because of their low intensity or small magnitude. The magnitude measures the energy released by an earthquake and is generally based on the well-known Richter scale....

Arrest of a journalist is no case of misunderstanding

The arrest of a journalist and a cell phone trader at midnight, Wednesday and small hours of the same night from their residences by the Detective Branch (DB) police brings back the ugly memory of similar infringements during the immediate...

Peddlers of fear on social media

Whether it is fire, or storm, earthquake or flood, what the magnitude of devastation it would cause depends both on pre-calamity preparedness and post-calamity reaction of the population stricken by any disaster. The destruction in question is not just about...

From catalytic capital to catalytic capability A new policy-led strategy for Bangladesh

As shrinking concessional capital exacerbates a long-standing credibility gap, Bangladesh must pair a robust, enforced Impact Measurement & Management (IMM) architecture with a strategic government role as a first-loss catalyst to unlock significant private commercial investment.For decades, the architecture of...

From credit to climate action: The evolving role of banking sector in Bangladesh

A Nation at the Climate CrossroadsAs the world faces accelerating climate shocks, Bangladesh remains one of the most vulnerable countries to their impacts. From rising sea levels and cyclones to saltwater intrusion and erratic rainfall, climate change threatens lives, livelihoods,...

CCTF seeks increased allocation to expand climate-risk activities

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has sought an additional allocation for the climate change trust fund, aiming to sustain and expand climate-risk mitigation activities for the 2025-2026 fiscal year (FY).The Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF),...

Now IMED finds Savar leather park faultlines

A government watchdog has dug out an epitome of operational, environmental, and governance "failures" in a vital project that continue to undermine Bangladesh's leather sector and its global competitiveness, thereby causing the country to miss millions in foreign exchange. On...

Ground ready for new listings but conflicting rules stand in the way

Many big businesses now view the capital market as an alternative to bank financing after the single borrower exposure limit was reduced to 25 per cent of a bank's capital from 35 per cent.They have already exhausted the limit set...

Ensuring structural integrity of city buildings

The writing has long been on the wall that a powerful earthquake is quite likely any time. Friday's 5.7-magnitude tremor, with its epicentre in Narsingdi, sent a powerful jolt through Dhaka and surrounding areas. Many described the frightening shock as...

Restoring stability in the banking sector

The financial sector in Bangladesh is at a crossroads now amid the interim government's hectic efforts towards widespread redressal of irregularities, which has been long overdue. The task is challenging, and there is no quick fix for the problems created,...

Financial literacy 2.0 coupled with digital innovation

Every economy encompasses the motion of production, consumption, trade and distribution of domestic and global resources in local interest. People belonging to that economy for their wellbeing surround the activity. A country considered advancing in economic dividends whose growth potential...

From colonial relic to equal partnership

As the United Nations (UN) approaches its 80th anniversary in 2025, the global discourse surrounding its efficacy is at a fever pitch. On the one hand, multilateralism is unequivocally recognised as required to navigate the complexities of a "multiplex world"....

Rising inequality in Bangladesh: wasteful spending in weddings provides an index

It was a wedding that would put many extravagant ones to shame. As reports run, the groom and the bride are from two opulent families in Bangladesh, a country struggling to come out from the world's poor-country club, that is,...

Education reform remains an unfulfilled promise of July Revolution

When the authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina was challenged in the summer of 2024, the largest demographic that was at the forefront against it was the youth of the country. The frustration that gave rise to their heroic stand against...

Human capital imperative: education for employability and innovation

Regarding nation-building, there is little that can be considered more valuable than an able, educated human resource base. For a nation like Bangladesh, which stands at the juncture of demographic opportunities and international economic transformation, its true catalysts of transformation...

Three pillars of economic resilience

Over the past fifteen years, the country's economic resilience has rested on three enduring pillar exports, export processing zones (EPZs), and expatriate remittances. These are not merely sources of income but the arteries that have kept growth flowing through shocks,...

Govt cracks down on unauthorised interior works in Secretariat-

The government has issued strict directives to curb interior decoration and unauthorised repair works inside the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, aiming to strengthen fire safety and prevent future accidents, sources said.The move follows an investigation that found unregulated "beautification" and...

SHED proposes 53pc allocation cut in RADP

The Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED) has proposed a sharp contraction of its Annual Development Programme (ADP) for FY26, seeking to cut Tk 72.22 billion - more than 53 per cent of its current ADP allocation.It recently submitted a...

Where trains are reborn

On a sunny July morning, with white clouds scattered across the light blue sky, I take an autorickshaw from the busy Tiger Pass Circle in the heart of Chattogram. My destination is the Pahartali Carriage and Wagon Repair Workshop of...