Suspended NBR officials' reinstatement begins

The process to reinstate the suspended National Board of Revenue (NBR) officials has started in full swing as the departmental inquiry is making progress.Around 33 officials of the income tax, VAT, and customs departments were suspended for tearing apart official...

Youth unemployment in Bangladesh: What holds us back

Bangladesh is at a demographic juncture, with one of the largest young populations in South Asia. Higher education has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past decade, resulting in increasing university graduates annually. However, a concerning contradiction casts a...

Listed mutual funds fail to lure investors despite NAV gains

Mutual funds are trading at heavy discounts on the bourses but still fail to attract investor enthusiasm.While volatility in the equity market could be a reason that drives away investors, the listed mutual funds have inherent issues that overpower their...

Farmland protection act brooks no delay

In a country where agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy, the steady erosion of farmland is a cause for serious concern. An increasing number of farmers are losing their land and livelihoods as arable areas shrink under the combined...

Bangla-Indo trade sees modest rise despite restrictions

Notwithstanding a significant strain in relations, bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India witnessed a modest rise in the last fiscal year, reflecting the reciprocal reliance on each other for sourcing various goods for domestic consumption. It also indicates that long-term...

Saidabad WTP physical work to begin after a decade

Physical work on the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant is finally set to begin after 10 years with an aim to ensure the supply of clean and safe water for city-dwellers from the Meghna River.The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority...

Pakistan proposes joint working team

The interim government is moving with urgency to resolve the long-standing issue of the repayment of Pabna Sugar Mill loans received under Pakistan Supplier Credit, sources say.In this regard, a high-profile inter-ministerial meeting was held between representatives from Bangladesh and...

Govt to issue land ownership certificates, smart cards

The government will issue certificates of land ownership (CLOs) and land smart cards to land owners to ensure the authenticity of ownership. A land ministry high official involved in the process has told The Financial Express the government has finalised...

Lack of skilled project directors, flawed planning among key challenges

The Planning Ministry has identified several challenges hampering the implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP), including flawed project formulation, a shortage of skilled project directors, weak feasibility studies, inconsistent data, and delays in land acquisition and utility relocation.These issues...

Gen Z is shaping the world in a way never seen before

The world's demography was never categorised by alphabetic letters like it has been done since the Millennials. Yet its next generation known in short Gen Z has captured the headlines more than their preceding and succeeding generations. The Millennials have...

Rohingyas at the crossroads: a call for global action

On August 24-26, 2025, something remarkable happened in Cox's Bazar. More than 100 Rohingya from the camps and the global diaspora gathered with civil society leaders, humanitarian and development partners, UN agencies, member states, and senior officials of the Bangladesh...

A betrayal of a national dream!

A webinar titled "Economic Dynamics and Mood at Household Level in Mid 2025" has explored a wide range of issues of national life including payment of bribes for official services and optimism about the country's future. The Power and Participation...

Preserving the dark memory of torture

Every country carries a thick book of sorrow-some hidden in secrecy, others etched on history as an eternal reminder to generations yet unborn. For Bangladesh, a country born out of the 1971 war of liberation and genocide, its heritage of...

Krishi Bank on the brink, reform urgent

As the government moves to merge five crisis-ridden Shariah-based banks into a single state-owned entity, one pertinent question arises as to whether the same recipe would be applied to state-owned financial institutions. The state-owned commercial banks as well as specialised...

Bond yields slip below policy rate

Yields on treasury bonds fell below the central bank's policy rate on Tuesday, as banks channelled surplus liquidity into government securities amid subdued private credit demand ahead of the national elections.The cut-off yield, commonly referred to as the interest rate,...

Hunt for foreign funds gets going

Much-hyped Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) is up for consideration at a meeting today as a government hunt for foreign funds gets going for bankrolling two dozen development schemes. Officials say health division promptly shortlists its five...

Benefits to be reviewed annually as per CPI

The government is set to review the benefits provided under the cash-based social-safety-net programmes once a year in keeping with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to make such operations time-befitting for the beneficiaries, sources say.The decision was made at a...

How Indie bands are rewriting Dhaka’s music story

On a slow weekend afternoon in Dhaka, Spotify shuffled to a song less heard. It began with a strangely familiar image: “Rooftops and crows/And guitars and away we go.” The song “Crows” by Orford mentions rooftop hangouts, the unnoticed birds...

Resuming the agro-goods train services

Rail transportation of agricultural products provides cost efficiency, bulk shipments, reduced transit congestion, and minimised spoilage of perishable items. Despite these advantages, the newly launched weekly train services for agricultural goods, which commenced in October 2024, were suspended just one...

Professional certifications in financial sector

In developed economies, professional roles in finance and other sensitive sectors are strictly regulated. Progression into such positions is contingent upon obtaining well-defined certifications that validate both technical knowledge and adherence to ethical standards. For instance, financial planners cannot rise...

CUCSU: 12 panels are in the race

CHITTAGONG, Sept 22: A total of 12 panels are contesting in the upcoming Chittagong University Central Students' Union (CUCSU) and hall union elections, scheduled for Oct 12. The EC announced the primary candidatures after scrutiny on Monday. A total of...

Digitally linked new election infrastructures to cost Tk 4.65b

Setting up new election infrastructures is estimated to cost Tk 4.65 billion under an Election Commission scheme for constructing 46 new server stations and regional, district and upazila offices. With national elections ahead for transition from the current post-uprising stand-in...

Airfare rises again after brief fall

Despite various initiatives taken by the interim government, the prices of air tickets to several international destinations, including Saudi Arabia, have surged again after a brief decline, according to travel agencies and passengers. The abnormal rise in prices is attributed...

BEXIMCO bondholders panic as interest payments stall

BEXIMCO Zero Coupon Bond holders have started panicking over the future of their investments, as the issuer missed this month's due date for interest payment and investors have yet to receive the money.The trustee of the debt instrument, Sandhani Life...

Adding meaning to the recognition of Palestine

Finally, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have given formal recognition to the state of Palestine on Sunday, September 21. The three staunch supporters of Israel-they still are-have decided to accept the Palestinian people's right to statehood. So, what prompted...

NBR to hand over 30 duty-free cars to govt

CHATTOGRAM, Sept 21: The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to hand over 30 luxury vehicles, imported by former ministers and members of parliament (MPs) under duty-free facilities, to the government after two failed attempts to sell those at...

Mrt-5 southern route project on backburner

Multi-donor-funded Dhaka metro-rail southern-route project is put on the backburner as the post-uprising government culled some previously conceived megaprojects under reset development priorities to make the most of scant resources, officials say. Put on hold is the proposed Dhaka Mass...

Spl drive on for early recovery of Tk 380b

A synchronized special government drive is being launched for speedy settlement of top 100 cases of state-owned banks, insurance companies, financial institutions and regulatory bodies to recover some Tk 380 billion.Officials have said the Ministry of Finance has made the...

New anomalies jeopardise second execution attempt

The second attempt to execute Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited's (BTCL) Switching and Transmission Network (STN) project is on the verge of failure amid serious allegations of irregularities and arbitrary decisions during the tender process.The project, aimed at improving digital connectivity...

Investigators highlight flaws in securities rules, propose reforms

The committee formed after the fall of the previous government to probe stock market frauds has shed light on shortcomings in the securities rules, which seemed to have protected manipulators instead of investors.The most obvious outcome is the legal challenges...