How is Bangladesh economy doing?

The dollar is sometimes referred to as 'the cleanest shirt in the laundry basket' or 'the least-ugly mug in a beauty contest'. The value of the US dollar against the most currencies in the world, except for a few South...

Bangladesh’s growth: Quality education remains a key factor

Hardly is it possible to overstate the role education plays in socioeconomic advances. Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world." The importance and impact of education are not only limited...

Is Bangladesh facing a macroeconomic crisis?

Although the global economy recovered well from the recession caused by the covid pandemic in 2020, it faced another shock in early 2022 - this time a man-made one, the effects of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Disruptions in...

DAP 2022-35: critiques & way forward

When I came across the newly published Dhaka DAP 2022-2035, it was unlike any public document I had ever seen in Bangladesh! Beautiful it was, not only because it was published in Bangla or because it was stunningly composed with...

Economic crisis and policy response: an overview

The world is going through an economic crisis of unprecedented scale and magnitude. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), ' the worst is yet to come', which should send a chill down the spine of policy makers and consumers alike....

Feasibility of electronic voting in Bangladesh

Background: Electronic Voting and Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs have been the talk of the country in Bangladesh in recent times due to the controversial decision taken by the current Election Commission (EC) to use these machines in 50 per...

Courier law at final stage

A new law to regulate mailing and courier services is in its final stage, with provisions of fines up to Tk 1.0 million or three months' jail for money laundering.The proposed 'Mailing Operator and Courier Service Development and Control Authority...

Meghna Cement makes a turnaround gaining profit of Tk 55.87m in FY22

Meghna Cement Mills, a concern of Bashundhara Group, gained Tk 55.87 million in profit in the fiscal 2021-22 ended in June, a turnaround from Covid-induced losses the year before.As a result, earnings per share rose to Tk 1.95 for FY22...

Telling 'our stories' through the lens

Shaaticup has taken the spotlight by storm. With its vivid portrayal of Rajshahi, its shady underbelly and its raw depiction of the local narcotics trade -- the web series has shown that our local stories and local elements can outshine...

Walton gets severe blow in July-Sept as consumers' purchasing power erodes

Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC, the most valued local company in terms of market capitalisation, went into the red in the first quarter of the fiscal 2022-23, ended in September, for costlier raw materials and soaring inflation bringing down the purchasing...

Small ones from remote areas deprived

Small and cottage entrepreneurs from the far flung areas of the country are being deprived of taking part in this year's SME products fair as the SME Foundation (SMEF) is planning to upgrade this event to an international standard one...

The madness should stop

The world is getting increasingly unstable not only on the economic front, but also militarily. When wars take place on a small scale as in Yemen, in Syria or in Palestine, the world at large does not give serious attention...

Cumbersome process, discourage trade licensing

Most entrepreneurs register their businesses three to 15 years after the startup to skip burdensome multiple compliance costs even before beginning operations, a latest finding reveals.Entrepreneurs say they need to carry multiple expenditures and complex procedures, including tax, VAT and...

PMO directs resuming LNG import, disciplining dollar rate

A move finally comes to manage fuel dearth and dollar disarray as the government high-ups instruct giving gas to industries even through costly LNG import and synchronizing multiple rates of the greenback, sources say. In the wake of irregular and...

Non-banks go into losses, battered by interest rate cap, capital market

The bearish stock market and the lending interest rate cap have been eating into profits of non-bank financial institutions, worsening the health of the overall sector. Most of the companies that logged handsome profits in 2021 watched their income drop,...

Potato can help avert food crisis

At a time when almost every essential people need for survival is atrociously costly, one common tuber crop, potato, has not followed the galloping price escalation. This starchy tuber has all the qualities to be a substitute for the staples...

COP27 should not be another talking shop

The 27th UN climate summit, COP27, has started at the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, a tourism spot, located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. The aims of this yearly event related to climate change...

Gabtoli-Dasherkandi metro rail by 2030

The metro rail authorities have made good progress in the preparation of another metro rail to be developed from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi in Dhaka city by 2030.Officials said the time frame for the MRT line-05 South has been finalised with...

Nine years on, DSE yet to get dividends from demutualisation

Nine years have gone by but the Dhaka Stock Exchange has not yet benefitted from the 2013 demutualisation of the capital market-independent decision-making by a vibrant management detached from the grasp of owners, transparency of the operations, and technological advancement...

Why quarterly GDP report is important

An agreed but apparently forgotten method of updating Bangladesh's gross domestic product (GDP) statistics every three months crops up again in discussion. A visiting team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), at a meeting with the national statistical agency last...

Of thieves in time of an unprecedented crisis

To think I have a bee in my bonnet would be a gross injustice to me. Last week's unwelcome nightly guest to a grocery drew not only my attention but maybe the public attention by virtue of his ingenuity of...

Little has changed for the tannery workers

Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) website mentions that there are more than 250 tanners in Bangladesh with 90 or so large manufacturers. Leather is the 2nd largest export item after readymade garments (or, third according to another report -- after...

Traders want to import 510m eggs from India

A number of traders sought the government's approval to import 510 million pieces of egg from India, sources said, although the domestic production would be enough to meet the country's annual demand.In a recent hearing, local poultry farmers expressed deep...

BD-Japan trade accord soon preceding FTA

All are set for signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on trade cooperation between Bangladesh and Japan which may culminate into a bilateral free-trade agreement (FTA) later on, officials say.The MoU signing will take place during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's...

Local handset production drops 25pc in Sept

Production of handsets by the local companies dropped 25 per cent in September, according to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).In August, the total production of handsets was 2.97 million units, which came down to 2.27 million units in September,...

Tax receipts from DSE drop 16pc in Oct

The government's revenue earnings from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) slumped 16 per cent month-on-month in October on the back of falling turnover value.Market analysts said the turnover fell sharply as technical glitches interrupted trading twice last month.The technical glitches...

Port city traders grapple with three crises

CHATTOGRAM, Nov 04: Businessmen of the port city's three largest trade hubs - Chaktai, Khatunganj and Asadganj - for a long time have been hamstrung by three major problems which are hampering not only businesses in city but also disrupting...

Meeting the challenge of starvation

Russia's abrupt u-turn from pulling out of the UN-brokered Black Sea grain initiative on Wednesday last will allow people in food-deficit countries around the world to heave a sigh of relief. Only four days ago on the weekend, Russian President...

RTA up for execution after yrs

After the lapse of over four years, the Road Transport Act (RTA)-2018 is getting fully ready to bring discipline in streets with provisions of penalties, including cancellation of driving licences.Sources said finance ministry finally gave its nod of approval to...

LafargeHolcim stands out among cement makers: Here is why

It is new products and an online distribution channel that helped LafargeHolcim grow at a time when other cement manufacturers are scrambling to make a profit and some even have endured the pain of significant losses in recent quarters. Holcim...