US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen on Sunday highlighted the strong cultural link between Bangladesh and the US through art while attending an event honouring Ekushey Padak-winning artist Dr Rokeya Sultana at Gallery Cosmos in the capital. He also praised the vibrancy and creativity
The interim government’s reliance on the banking sector surged significantly to meet development project costs and other expenditures, with borrowing from internal banks reaching over Tk 730.00 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, FY2025-26. According to a report fro
New Zealand has proposed initiating negotiations for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bangladesh to significantly expand trade and investment between the two nations. The proposal was moved by New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay during a high-level bilateral meeting
A study has highlighted the need for Bangladesh to reduce its dependence on imported fuel and move toward energy self-reliance. The findings were presented at a roundtable held at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in Dhaka, organised by Change Initiative.
Bangladesh and South Korea held a bilateral meeting on Sunday on the sidelines of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaound‚, Cameroon to enhance trade cooperation and mutual investment. The Bangladeshi delegation was led by Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, accomp
Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) have expressed optimism about further strengthening trade and investment cooperation in a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14). During the meeting that took place on March 29 in Yaoundé, Cameroon,
Prime Minister's Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir has said previous governments inflated GDP growth and economic size for political purposes, as the interim administration moves to correct long-standing distortions in official data. He warned that the economy the government ha
Bangladesh has formally announced its decision to join the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement at the World Trade Organization's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC 14), marking its first entry into a plurilateral trade initiative. The move signals Dhaka's growing engagement in glo
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has sought a budget allocation of Tk 79.43 billion for the next fiscal year to implement a range of social programmes, which is 1.55 per cent higher than the current amount. The programmes include food for work (KABIKHA), test relief (TR), humanitaria
Approximately 4.15 million individual taxpayers have filed their income tax returns online so far. Alongside this, the requests for extensions are also pouring in. In a press release on Sunday, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) said that the time extension facility for filing income tax returns
Bangladesh's investment and savings ratios declined sharply in FY2024–25, reflecting a broader economic slowdown that has pushed GDP growth to its lowest level since the pandemic. The latest official data point to weakening domestic demand and a more cautious investment climate. Economists w
The Energy and Mineral Resources Division has sought an additional Tk 16.30 billion in the FY2026-27 budget, warning that a funding shortfall could disrupt key projects and weaken the country's energy security efforts. The request comes amid mounting pressure on public finances, as authorities pus
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has expressed consent to extend a $164.57-million loan to procure 30 metre-gauge (MG) diesel-electric locomotives for Bangladesh Railway under the Railway Capacity Expansion (RACE) project, officials at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) say. The
