Focusing on export of agro-based products

Having the requisite amount of foreign currency to meet import bills as well as external debt obligations is a constant challenge being faced by Bangladesh economy. Aside from export of manpower and service, commodity export is the standard affair to...

NBR reform imbroglio disrupts trade delivery, revenue collection

Entire revenue administration of Bangladesh faces an unprecedented disruption amid agitating-staff-government standoff over reform disagreements, threatening to upend the country's macroeconomic rebound process.Finance officials, economists and businesses worry about immediate and long-term consequences of the deadlock as the two sides...

Economic cost of uncertainty

The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) approval of a US$1.3 billion disbursement of the third and fourth tranches of Bangladesh's $4.7 billion loan programme may help improve donors' sentiment and more foreign funds may be released in the coming months. But...

What drives BD money into Swiss banks?

The news that Bangladesh-linked money in Swiss banks increased by around 23 per cent last year has drawn attention of various quarters in the country. The significant rise in deposits has triggered widespread discussions, because of the fact that the...

Investment must for growth

The economy of Bangladesh is not doing well. In fact, it has not been doing well since the second quarter of 2023-24 as should be evident from the chart-1. At this low rate of growth unemployment could have risen and...

Govt orders fixing factors squeezing savings tools investment

A rising reliance on bank borrowing for meeting public financing gaps prompts the government to probe reasons why people are reluctant to invest in savings instruments that feed its funding needs, officials said.The Ministry of Finance has asked the savings...

A blueprint of industrial future

Bangladesh is steadily advancing toward a more export-oriented, employment-generating, and tech-driven economy. In the quiet coastal upazila of Mirsarai, a seismic shift is underway-one that could redefine Bangladesh's economic future. Stretching across 33,805 acres of reclaimed land, the National Special...

Tragedies caused by devious use of social platforms

Leaders and activists of the July-August uprising demonstrated their organisational ability courtesy of social sites. The tech-savvy new generation was a few steps ahead of the establishment in making the most of the digital knowledge to the extent of skirting...

Unlocking working capital solution

Bangladesh is entering a new phase of financial innovation. As global investment into the country increases, the need for flexible, rapid, and non-traditional financing options becomes more pronounced. One such mechanism, Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC) monetisation, holds significant promise...

Advancing sustainability reporting with IFRS standards

In recent years, the global shift towards sustainability has become increasingly evident, prompting a growing recognition of the critical importance of transparent and consistent reporting. As investors demand clearer insights into how companies are managing their sustainability risks and opportunities,...

What SMEs lack to thrive on technology-driven global mkt

There is no denying that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stand as the backbone of Bangladesh's developing economy, contributing substantially to employment creation, grassroots innovation, rural industrialization, and inclusive growth across both formal and informal sectors nationwide. But what is...

Easy access to funds, policy support must-haves to revitalize SMEs

A great array of over 11.8 million smaller enterprises across Bangladesh are a pivot to its economy, all together contributing around 30 per cent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). However, they get a negligible amount as loans from...

Relaxed rules not enough to draw banks' special funds into pooled instruments

The recent proposal to relax conditions, attached to the special fund, for boosting investments in pooled instruments has elicited an opposing view that banks will refrain from investing unless fund managers are made accountable. A majority of the mutual funds...

When aggressor turns mediator of peace

The dark episode of the human civilisation involving the Jewish people has become darker with the descendants of the holocaust victims turning the perpetrators of the same crime. A state for the Europe's displaced Jewish was created at the initiative...

Adani seeks finance adviser's intervention to get $900m dues

India's Adani Power Limited (APL) has sought Bangladesh Finance Adviser's intervention in expediting the process of settling its more than US$900 million worth of outstanding dues.Managing Director of the group Anil Sardana recently made a request in this regard in...

Project for textile jute mill named after Hasina to be scrapped

The interim government has finally decided to scrap the project to establish a specialised jute textile mill in Jamalpur, named after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose ouster resulted from a student-led mass movement last year.The Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation...

Funding projects unlocked from Indian LoC looks uncertain

Uncertainty shrouds the fate of 11 projects dropped from the Indian Line of Credit (LoC) as exploring new sources of funding stalls for incomplete exit formalities, sources said. The post-uprising government made the decision last March to unlock these projects...

How to ensure a transparent rice supply chain

Food on the plate is the very first thing people need every day, and with rice being the staple, its price is a matter of overriding concern for the general public. When rice prices soar, the poor and low-income people...

The lights must not go out in Tehran

In depressing clarity, the rules-based international order we have long known or spoken of has been crumbling around us. As the ferocity of the attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States (US) has so conclusively shown, the world...

Can war and peace be two men's decision?

The world order, in terms of war and peace, presents a bizarre spectacle now. Nowhere is this exemplified more starkly than in the middle-east. As if the nearly two-year long genocidal attack by Israel in Gaza, killing more than fifty...

Investors dump shares in hefty losses, unmoved by lofty reforms

The number of beneficiary owner's (BO) accounts with zero share balance surged by 6.8 per cent in the past one year as many investors sold off their entire holdings amid persistent economic challenges and political tensions.The number of BO accounts...

Int'l flights to take off despite terminal woes, capacity crunch

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) plans to launch international flights at Cox's Bazar Airport in July despite the new terminal for international passenger handling still being under construction and not expected to be ready until December.Officials and aviation...

PC flags flaws in Tk 198b health projects

Two ambitious health-sector projects worth Tk 198.09 billion have hit a major scrutiny, as the Planning Commission (PC) has pushed back against their approval citing serious procedural and financial gaps. Concerns range from the 'absence of feasibility studies to vague...

IMF board okays $1.3b payout to BD

Bangladesh is receiving US$1.3 billion from the International Monetary Fund in its lending programme's latest two tranches trapped in unmet reform-related conditions as the IMF board finally nods the payout, sources said. Finance Division officials in Dhaka said the executive...

Why and how Iran-Israel war may deliver a blow to equity market

Bangladesh's equity market has not yet witnessed a significant impact of the Iran-Israel conflict, but experts and market operators fear that its escalation with the US stepping in will gradually start biting it. There are concerns that if the conflict...

Not a budget of dream!

The interim government's Finance Adviser, Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, in response to criticism of the just-approved budget for FY 2025-26 that it followed an 'old road', came out forcefully saying that it was rather a 'highway born out of the old...

Zero-rated tax on 152 imports goes

Zero-rated tax benefit on 152 items, mostly essentials like rice, wheat, onions and edible oils, goes as the new budget takes effect on July 1 with some major changes in fiscal measures.Importers of the goods would be required to pay...

Bangladesh ships locally made solar modules to US

In a landmark move marking the country's entry into the global clean energy supply chain, Bangladesh has begun exporting solar modules, transitioning from a sole importer to an international supplier.Radiant Alliance Limited, a sister concern of East Coast Group, recently...

Western civilisation in the dock

To say Israel is committing crimes against humanity is an understatement. The mind behind the daily routine killing of unarmed and relief-seeking hungry Palestinians is diabolical at its worst. Even at a time when the Zionist state is at war...

Diversifying energy sources, export markets

Though price of oil in the global market has not so far gone through the roof since Israel's June 13 attack on Iran followed by the latter's retaliatory missile and drone strikes, there is no guarantee that it will remain...