Undeterred Trump opts for more aggressive tariffs

With the US Supreme Court (SC) upholding the lower court ruling that the reciprocal tariffs President Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is illegal, its fallouts were supposed to be sobering enough to dissipate the turmoil...

AI not magic wand for all our problems

In recent discussions in the business circles and among the policymakers, the AI-driven solutions have become the watchword. It is as though humanity has found the ultimate magic wand to resolve all problems ranging from healthcare to governance to economic...

Past missteps haunt BSEC as fresh lobbying begins for top posts

Strong lobbying has begun for the top positions at the securities regulator after the newly elected government assumed office last week.Market experts insist that the right leadership is imperative for the capital market to recover from decades-old wounds inflicted by...

Reimagining Bangladesh's education for Generation Alpha

According to UNESCO (2023), 92 per cent of Bangladesh's Generation Alpha - born in 2010 and after - is the country's biggest and most technologically savvy group. Despite having enormous economic potential, children are taught using a mass-production, industrial-era educational...

Festivals and unfair trading practice

The onset of Ramadan has triggered a wave of consumer-friendly market initiatives across many Muslim-majority countries, where governments and businesses alike seek to ease the financial burden on households during the holy month. According to a Khaleej Times report, retailers...

No scope to undermine July mass uprising

Dispelling speculations and predictions, the Yunus-led interim government accomplished its core mission by upholding the national elections and the referendum. The elections took place on February 12, and the interim government peacefully handed over power to the elected government within...

Why quantity theory of money fails in Bangladesh

In economic policy debates, some ideas endure not because they explain reality well, but because they sound reassuringly simple. One such idea is the belief that inflation can be understood-and managed-by tracking how much money exists and how quickly it...

Nearly 0.37 million young people to get short-term training in 505 upazilas

The government plans short-term training programmes for 366,540 young people in 505 upazilas nationwide to help half of them become self-employed by June 2028, planning ministry sources say. The Ministry of Youth and Sports recently submitted the proposal of a...

Continue coordinated fiscal, monetary policies to tame inflation

It is imperative for the newly elected government to continue coordinated fiscal and monetary policies to keep inflation under control, as price growth has eased to single digits in the current fiscal year.Immediate-past finance adviser of the interim government Dr...

How to ensure peaceful work environment

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims, marked by self-control, spiritual purification, and worship. However, this period also presents special challenges for industrial establishments in safeguarding workers' well-being and maintaining a healthy and balanced work environment. Long abstinence from food...

Language compatibility in an age of AI-driven automation

Political hegemony often imposes language and cultural hegemonies. The dismantling of colonial power following the World War II may have withdrawn the political stranglehold across the continents but the influence of the two others refuses to go. This subcontinent and...

A brief account of the Language Movement--

Language Movement began in 1947 and reached its climax in the killing of 21 February 1952, and ended in the adoption of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan. The question as to what would be the state...

Initial phase of the Language Movement in 1947

Following the partition of the Indian subcontinent into two separate entities called India and Pakistan in August 1947, the language movement was the first popular political movement launched by the people of East Bengal that ultimately led to the recognition...

Coordinated policies, disciplined finance

Bangladesh is not short of ambition; it is short of coordination.Over the past decades, the country has demonstrated remarkable economic resilience. Export-led growth, remittance inflows, infrastructure expansion, and demographic strength have powered steady progress. Yet today, inflation remains elevated, the...

New govt faces fiscal space squeeze

A total of 86 development projects, stalled for more than a decade despite having an approved estimated cost of Tk 4.76 trillion, significantly squeezed the previous government's fiscal space, potentially limiting the new administration's ability to take up fresh schemes,...

Call to scrap source tax on exports

Bangladesh should phase out the source tax on exports at the earliest opportunity, as it undermines competitiveness and distorts trade, according to a national taskforce on revenue reform.The panel argues that taxing manufacturing exports contradicts fundamental tax principles and weakens...

Restricting yarn imports could cost $2.4b, put 0.4m jobs at risk

The country's apparel makers have warned that restrictive measures on imported cotton yarn could trigger a staggering US$ 2.4 billion annual cost shock for the country's export-oriented apparel sector and put up to 0.4 million jobs at risk.They have urged...

Import of capital machinery and export diversification are integral

It is premature to conclude that import of capital machinery has peaked up in the first half of the fiscal year 2025-26 riding on the assumption of economic and political stability during this elected government. But the 24 per cent...

Zero tariffs, new horizons

The recently negotiated reciprocal trade agreement between Washington and Dhaka is more than just a tariff adjustment. It is a strategic shift in Bangladesh's economic path. Bangladesh, a country where the ready-made garments (RMG) industry plays a major role in...

Overcoming tax reform challenges

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has taken the helm of the country at a time when the economy is caught on the horns of a fiscal dilemma. On the one hand, the new government has a plethora of election pledges...

6.0pc of cabinet members women

The 13th Parliament has begun its journey with women making up 6.0 per cent of the cabinet, although only 2.36 per cent of elected parliamentarians are women.Three women - all new faces - were assigned portfolios in the 50-member cabinet...

Lock-in on Asiatic Lab shares extended amid price manipulation concerns

The securities regulator has extended the lock-in period by at least three years on the shares held by sponsors, directors, and placement holders of Asiatic Laboratories, citing their alleged intention to offload shares after inflating prices through the publication of...

How Gen Z is reclaiming the 'Golden Age' of social media

If your feed feels a little more pink-hued and selfies are suddenly featuring flower crowns again, you have not traveled back in time. You have just hit the 2026 Reset. A decade after 2016, which shaped the internet with bottle...

Bangladesh begins a new journey

For the people of Bangladesh the destination is the same now, as it was in 1947 and in 1971 e.g. freedom, democracy, inclusionary development and social harmony. The experience under Pakistan was one of disillusionment over the achievement of hopes...

DMTCL earns one-fourth of average revenue on election day

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) earned about one-fourth of its average daily revenue by keeping metro services operational on the 13th national election day.According to data, DMTCL received over 100,000 riders on February 12 against an average of over...

BB buys $5.0b in 7 months to stabilise forex rate

Bangladesh Bank has purchased more than US$5.0 billion from commercial banks over the past seven months in a sustained effort to keep the dollar-taka exchange rate stable and support exporters and remitters.The latest intervention came as inward remittance inflows strengthened...

Delayed CEIZ project in Ctg back on track

CHATTOGRAM, Feb 16: The long-delayed China Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ), first announced in 2016, is finally moving forward in Anwara upazila of the port city as Bangladesh and China seek to deepen economic ties amid shifting global trade patterns.Authorities...

Will the winds of change blow?

BNP chairman, Tarique Rahman paid a visit to Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman at the latter's Bashundhara residence last Sunday (February 15) evening. Terming it 'a historic moment in national politics', the Jamaat leader, Shafiqur Rahman, reaffirmed his party's commitment, along...

Can next govt fulfil July dreams?

Undeniably, the July uprising has radically changed the public's view on what future governments should be like. The Dr Yunus-led interim administration's role has been more than just arranging the 13th parliamentary election. In fact, its job has been to...

Taskforce for skewed trade tax restructuring

An expert body has recommended radical restructuring of anomalous trade taxes for building a dynamic and trade-oriented economy capable of generating jobs and inclusive growth.As of the last financial year, finished consumer goods enjoyed about 2.4 times higher tariff protection...