Posters of various political parties

Posters of various political parties have mushroomed across Kadamtoli in Keraniganj, reflecting the mounting political fervour ahead of the national election scheduled for February next year. The photo was taken on Sunday.  — FE Photo by Shafiqul Alam

US govt shutdown forces some overseas bases to stop paying workers

MADRID, Nov 9 (AP): The longest US government shutdown on record is doing more than grind activities to a halt at home; an ocean away in Europe, local workers at US military bases have started to feel the pain.Thousands of...

Treasury bill yields rise

Yields on treasury bills (T-bills), particularly those of longer tenures, rose on Sunday as banks appeared increasingly reluctant to invest their surplus liquidity in government securities ahead of the upcoming national elections.The cut-off yield on the 182-day T-bills climbed to...

Final voter list to be published on Nov 18

Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed Sunday said the final voter list will be published and the expatriate voter registration app will be launched on November 18, reports BSS."Earlier, we wanted to launch the Expatriate Voter Registration App on...

Onion to be imported if prices do not fall in 4-5 days

Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin has said the government will allow onion import if prices do not decrease within four to five days.He said this at a press conference held at the commerce ministry on Sunday. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman...

Forex reserves stay strong after ACU payment

Bangladesh's foreign-exchange reserves have remained comfortably above the $31-billion mark, even after the country settled $1.60 billion in import-payment obligations to Asian Clearing Union (ACU) member-countries on Sunday.Following the payment for the September-October 2025 period, the gross forex reserves stood...

Health ministry seeks Tk 34.22 billion in emergency funds to sustain services

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is seeking Tk 34.22 billion in emergency spending -- entirely from domestic sources -- to meet urgent healthcare needs beyond the existing budget allocation for the current fiscal year (2025-26).Officials said the ministry...

Economy's upturn persists

The Bangladesh economy gathered fresh momentum in October, with the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rising by 2.7 points from the previous month to 61.8, indicating a faster pace of expansion across all major sectors.The upturn was broad-based, led by robust...

Prayer Timings (2025-11-10)

FE Anniversary Supplement-

HC halts Ctg port tariff hike for one month

The High Court on Sunday stayed for one month the Chattogram Port Authority's (CPA) decision to raise tariffs by an average of 41 per cent across various services, providing temporary relief to port users and shipping agents.The court also issued...

BB slashes quasi-fiscal financing by Tk 50b

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has significantly reduced quasi-fiscal financing to achieve the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) indicative target, which has been set as part of its $5.50- billion lending package to stabilise the country's macroeconomic situation, officials say.The multilateral lending...

ACC files case against S Alam, 66 others

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed its 'largest-ever' corruption case accusing Mohammad Saiful Alam (65), the chairman of S Alam Group, and 66 other individuals, over a massive loan fraud of Tk 104.8 billion.The ACC claims loans amounting to Tk...

Charge-sheets soon against Salman, others

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will soon submit charge-sheets in 17 money-laundering cases filed against Beximco Group Vice-Chairman Salman F Rahman and several others over their alleged involvement in laundering US$97 million under the guise of foreign trade between 2020...

Next govt to decide new pay scale, IMF loan payout

Next government will take decision on implementation of the new pay scale for public employees, says Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, indicating interim government's hands-off on major matters ahead of elections. Also, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will make decision...

FE's 32-year-long journey: Eventful and inspiring

The Financial Express (FE), Bangladesh's first and oldest business daily, completes its 32 years of existence today. On this momentous occasion, we express our deep gratitude to our valued readers, advertisers, shareholders of the FE's owning company, the International Publications...

Revenue board opposes blanket scrapping of tax incentives

A willy-nilly government action undoing time-bound tax-breaks falters as investors lodge multiple objections and take the matter up with court on alleged breach of commitment.Tax officials say the abrupt phasing out of these exemptions - the first of its kind...

BB issues LoI for Sammilito Islami Bank

The banking regulator has issued the preliminary licence for Sammilito Islami Bank, the proposed largest shariah-based bank to be formed through merger of five severely liquidity-crisis-ridden unconventional banks."Yes, we issued letter of intent (LoI) in favour of the merged bank...

Tourism and SDGs: Bangladesh boasts ample potential to score

Tourism is the single-largest economic sector in today's world. About one-tenth of global gross domestic product (GDP) and employment opportunities come from this economic sector. More than 50 countries depend mainly on this sector for their economic development. Many countries...

Separate commission for faculty selection

Much has been deliberated about and documented on the recruitment process of faculty members at our public universities. However, no substantive reforms have yet materialised in this area. Bangladesh boasts over 55 public universities, with approximately 16,000 dedicated educators engaged...

Rise in digital economy

Bangladesh is witnessing remarkable growth and transformation in the digital sector, with its youth emerging as the stars of startups and online ventures. From e-commerce and freelancing to social commerce, digital entrepreneurship is becoming a powerful force shaping the nation's...

No music & sports teachers for primary schools!

The planned appointment of music and sports teachers to government primary schools has been cancelled. This decision has invited protests from different cultural organisations, educators, child rights activists and students of a number of universities. Apparently, the interim government has...

Development damaging Nature, defying law

Already ranked ninth globally for climate disaster risk, according to the World Risk Index 2023, Bangladesh, so far, seems to have resigned itself to its fate. Worse, it has been doing everything to make matters worse often in the name...

Domestic factors undermining price stability

The latest Bangladesh Bank analysis of inflation may explain why a stable exchange rate has largely failed to translate into lower consumer prices and why a tight monetary policy has so far failed to bring inflation rate down to the...

A generation sees future murky

Can you imagine a home that feels like a jail? For more than a million Rohingya in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, barbed wire isn’t just a boundary — it’s a barrier to the future. For children here, eight years...

Blue economy and Bangladesh’s fisheries: promise or paradox?

The pride of Bengal, the Bay of Bengal, is not just a matter of global recognition for the people of Bangladesh, but also a gold mine of opportunities and regional cooperation. But how little do we do to utilise the...

Debt sustainability: risks from climate-financing exigencies 

Bangladesh has long maintained an impressive record of external debt servicing, standing out among least-developed countries for its fiscal discipline and strong export performance. For decades, the country has met its repayment obligations with relative ease, reflecting prudent financial management...

Carbon tax: implications for Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the EU

The global trading regime facing Bangladesh’s export-oriented sectors is changing at a fast pace. The recently imposed Trump Reciprocal Tariffs and the likely implications of the Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation are two important considerations in this connection. However, yet...

From democracy to mafioso reign in Bangladesh: a chronological review

Following the exit of the caretaker regime after the holding of the 9th parliamentary election in December 2008, expectations ran high among the people in Bangladesh that the grand-alliance government led by Awami League (AL) would keep its pledge of ushering...

Populism and policymaking

In recent years populism has emerged as a powerful social and economic factor influencing politics, governance and policymaking across a broad swath of the world. Its appeal lies in a rhetorical division of society into ‘the people’ versus the ‘elite’...