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
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
A sum of US$250 million may come soon from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to Bangladesh as budgetary support, officials say. An ADB mission has recently given the green signal to Bangladesh following a spot review of the needs, according to the officials. Under the Strengthening Social Resilien
Prolonged Middle-East conflict could cut economic growth in developing Asia and the Pacific by up to 1.3 percentage points in 2026-2027 and push inflation higher by 3.2 percentage points if energy disruptions last over a year. Such forecast comes from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), as the US-Is
Amidst uncertainties on global trade and economy mainly due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, the 14th ministerial conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) formally started in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon, on Thursday. Trade ministers and negotiators from 166 member-co
Revenue collection has rebounded sharply from the slump seen during the interim government’s final months, registering a 12 per cent growth in the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) released the latest data on Wednesday, showing total revenue c
Trade ties between Bangladesh and the United States strengthened notably in 2025, with Washington temporarily overtaking India to become Dhaka's second-largest trading partner during several months of the year. While China and India continue to dominate Bangladesh's trade landscape, the shift high
