The two-day Economic Reform Summit 2025 has made a set of recommendations including ensuring macroeconomin stability, reviving investment and creating jobs. For doing so, the summit stressed the need for overhaul of financial governance, trade policy, skills development and SME transformat
The banking sector is feeling the strain as the gap between lending and deposit rates, a key measure of profitability, narrowed to a 17-month low in September. The squeeze comes as banks face rising deposit costs and sluggish lending growth, leaving many struggling to maintain margins. Bankers an
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sought the government's permission to issue bonds through mobile money to mobilise investment for Bangladesh's development, officials said on Saturday. The Manila-based lender plans to introduce the bond in local currency in the domestic market first and, upon
The government has said the disbursement of foreign loans in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year 2025-26 increased by 35 per cent compared with the same period last year. According to data released by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) on its website on Saturday, foreign loan disbursem
The cost of the Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) project, designed to boost Bangladesh's export diversification and employment generation, has ballooned by nearly Tk 1.59 billion due to prolonged delays in implementation and rising foreign exchange costs. According to official documents subm
The cost of the Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) project, designed to boost Bangladesh’s export diversification and employment generation, has ballooned by nearly Tk 159 crore due to prolonged delays in implementation and rising foreign exchange costs. According to official documents s
More than 1.0 million individual taxpayers have submitted their income tax returns online so far in the current tax year, marking a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s ongoing digital transformation of tax administration, according to the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The online e-retur
Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have stood at $32.15 billion, according to the latest data of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) released on Wednesday. But, as per the International Monetary Fund (IMF) methodology under the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6)
Bangladesh’s economy is showing signs of stabilisation, supported by steady remittance inflows, prudent fiscal management, and a gradual improvement in foreign exchange reserves, though overall growth remains sluggish amid weak investment and persistent inflationary pressures, according to th
Criticising the central bank's proposed merger of five problem-ridden Islamic banks, speakers at a roundtable discussion expressed the fear that the merged Sariah-based bank could become a huge burden for the government. Their fear comes in the backdrop of experience gained earlier from the merger
Export apparel making is affected as samples and ingredients remain stuck in piles of courier-borne goods undelivered since a blaze burnt down Dhaka airport's cargo section, sources say. An estimated 500 tonnes of courier-related goods remained stranded on the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airpor
Hints are rife the IMF might hold back the next installment of its US$5.5-billion loan from stipulated payout by December deadline as Bangladesh couldn't complete agreed banking reforms, officials said Tuesday. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not happy for the delays in some reforms in th
With Bangladesh’s population ageing rapidly, policymakers, development partners, and civil society representatives have come together to chart a roadmap for a sustainable long-term care (LTC) system for older persons. The initiative was highlighted at a high-level seminar in Dhaka on Tuesday
