Top listed firms see share prices plunge up to 47pc in ten months

Top listed companies by market capitalisation, including telecom giant Grameenphone, have seen their share prices plunge by as much as 47 per cent since the fall of the Awami League government, contributing to a sharp decline in the benchmark equity...

BBA likely to drop subway project

Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) is finally considering dropping the plan to develop subway network from its rules of business what sources said due to its failure to find financiers for any of the four priority routes during the last three...

Nuclear power project clinches highest chunk, over Tk 100b outlay

Now nearing completing, the gargantuan Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is set to receive Tk 100.12 billion, the highest single recipient, from the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the upcoming fiscal year.This power-generation project under the Ministry of Science and...

Rollback of protective taxes begins under new budget

An envisaged rollback of protective taxes on 'made-in -Bangladesh' package of products begins in the upcoming fiscal year with the planned levying of standard 15-percent VAT on all goods after 2030.Local manufacturers of blender, juicer, rice cooker, oven, mobile-phone set,...

Govt mulls withdrawal of duty on meat imports in next budget

The government is considering withdrawal of supplementary duty (SD) on meat imports in the upcoming national budget in a bid to prevent cattle smuggling from neighbouring India and help stabilise meat prices in the domestic market.Besides, a reduction in the...

Cox's Bazar Airport poised to launch int'l flights in July

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is in talks with different airlines about launching direct international flights from Cox's Bazar Airport, which is expected to begin handling international flights this July.Among the airlines, Air Arabia, a UAE-based airline, has...

Addressing the key challenges of inflation, banking, external sector & capital market

Inflation currently poses a major challenge to Bangladesh's economy. In FY2025, inflation surged to 9.94 per cent, the highest in 12 years, exceeding the target of 7.5 per cent. Despite this, the interim government projected that inflation would fall to...

Self-serving protests undermine national interest

In line with the July uprising's resounding mandate to reform the state, the interim government is undertaking a series of institutional reforms - including the reconstruction of the National Revenue Board and the enactment of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance...

Budget amid lower growth

For the third consecutive year, the country's economic growth rate has declined, reflecting the sluggish trend in the overall development scenario. The national statistical agency released the primary estimate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the current fiscal year...

Green Ship-Breaking Yards

Among the world's largest ship-breaking zones, Sitakunda in Bangladesh stands as a significant name. As recently as 2020, over 1,00,000 workers were employed directly or indirectly across more than 169 yards here, dismantling approximately 200-250 decommissioned ships annually. From these...

Wherever I go in Bangladesh, I promote trains

"I have two personalities, and the uncompromisingly professional one takes over the moment I sit in the cab," Shaju Kumar Das asserted. For someone who never imagined becoming a locomotive master (LM), this is a striking transformation. In his 20-year...

Tri-quarterly GDP calculation likely for higher ratings

Bangladesh may pivot to tri-quarterly GDP-growth calculation for higher ratings as the current practice of estimation based on data of the first two quarters of a financial year does not reflect real economic situation, officials said.The Ministry of Finance (MoF)...

Buildings to eat up highest 16.10pc funds in ADP

Constructing residential and non-residential buildings alone costs 16.10 per cent of the funds in the upcoming development budget as the interim government has made the highest allocation for this purpose, insiders said Friday.Such penchant for buildings is evident from a...

Making the meaning of brain and mind

Memories are the evidence of a persona. Sounds queer! But imagine how the aggregate of memories makes a complete human being. True, not all people possess equal capabilities of retaining or remembering past events or experiences. Recollection, however, varies not...

Intel agency warns of spice mkt volatility ahead of Eid

An intelligence agency has warned of a volatile aromatic spices market ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Azha festival.The spice market is heating up though there is no shortage of supply. A section of unscrupulous traders have made the market unstable.Meanwhile, the...

Ctg port lease: economic rationale, strategic concerns

Bangladesh interim government's decision to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chittagong Port to Dubai-based global logistics company DP World has ignited a nationwide debate and raised significant concerns. While the government argues that the move will...

Power and energy crisis in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is currently facing one of the most disruptive energy crises in recent months. Extended load shedding, acute gas shortages, and high fuel price hikes have severely impacted daily life and economic activity across the country. According to the national...

Japanese businesses eye $13b trade, investment in BD

Japanese private sector eyes trade and investment worth US$13 billion in Bangladesh under bilateral economic partnership agreement (EPA) in the making through high-level exchanges between the two governments.Official sources say halal meat, deep-sea fishing, logistics and infrastructure, synthetic manufacturing and...

American imports getting cheaper under 500 products' duty cuts

Import taxes on nearly 500 products, including 100 from America, are up for cuts in the upcoming budget to smooth the path of Bangladesh's LDC graduation next year and offset Trump tariffs. Of the items, some 500 goods will see...

Startups boom but go bust for caregivers' neglect

Startups are coming up in encouraging numbers in the SME sector but many entrepreneurs are failing to sustain and closing their businesses within a year or two, for lacking in tricks of the trade, sources said.According to sector-insiders and experts,...

Consumer-led transformation in tobacco harm reduction

Technology is reshaping many aspects of society. This includes how people choose to consume tobacco and nicotine. Thanks to innovation, adult smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke, can continue to use nicotine without the burning of tobacco, significantly reducing...

A trip to ancient Hajj gateway

As pilgrims from across the Muslim world have been congregating in the holy city of Makkah, many of them will try to explore some of the historical sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Their most desired destinations are...

Ziaur Rahman in the eyes of the masses

It is not the handful of vocal or partisan intellectuals, or bands of political activists ready to do or undo anything only to promote their own interests that ultimately determine the political course of a nation. Rather, in a democratic...

Economic indicators are far from bright

Some of the vital economic indicators that have come to light of late are far from encouraging. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) has been projected to grow at 3.97 per cent by the end of this fiscal year. This...

MoF turns down request for $700m funds

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has turned down a request for US$700 million to pay outstanding electricity bills owed to India's Adani Power Ltd in a single instalment, sources said.Finance officials cited a lack of budgetary allocation for such payments...

New budget commutes trade penalties, cuts essentials’ taxes

Multiple trade-facilitation measures like corporate-tax variables to promote capital market, commuting penalties for trade offences and cut-down tax rates for pharmaceuticals and other essentials are envisaged in the new budget.The current interim government is set to cut corporate tax for...

Govt mulls diverting it to develop hospitals

Despite signing a €250 million loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 2021 to procure Covid-19 vaccines, the health ministry has not received a single penny yet.Nearly four years later, the government is now considering repurposing the fund...

Enhancing capacity & professional development in public procurement

There was a time when tender notices occupied a large section of daily newspapers. During my student life, I used to read newspapers regularly, but I used to skip the tender notices because the technical terms and instructions in them...

Enhancing the value for money is key

As the current fiscal year draws to a close in June 2025, the interim government is set to present the national budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 on June 2, 2025. The underlying objective of the upcoming budget will be...

CETP crisis chokes leather industry's growth

The world is more environmentally conscious than ever, as the threats of environmental degradation and water pollution become increasingly evident. Fashion, being one of the most polluting industries on the planet, can no longer evade its responsibility. There is a...