Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure by Islamic banks in Bangladesh has witnessed a persistent downward trend, with spending in the third quarter of 2025 falling significantly from what it was a year ago. According to the latest Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, expenditure on CSR activities
A proposed Tk 2.0-trillion Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) for the current fiscal year will be placed before the National Economic Council (NEC) today for approval, marking a 7.41-percent decline from the FY25 RADP and the lowest revised development outlay in the past five years. Pla
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Sunday launched large-value tax payment facilities through mobile financial services (MFS) to make corporate tax payment easier, faster and more digital. As part of the inauguration, trial transactions were conducted through bKash Limited's online merchant
Bangladesh is failing to capitalise on vast opportunities in the global packaging market, estimated at around US$700 billion, due to inadequate policy support and absence of export incentives, industry leaders have said. Despite strong manufacturing capacity and growing global demand, the sector r
COAST Foundation, BDCSO Process, and EquityBD Saturday warned that the government’s plan to set up a separate microcredit bank could harm Bangladesh’s poorest people. The proposal is being promoted as a “social innovation,” but the civil society organisations (CSOs) say it
Bangladesh’s overall Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose slightly in December, indicating a faster pace of economic expansion, driven mainly by continued growth in agriculture, manufacturing and services, according to the latest PMI report. PMI increased by 0.2 points in December fro
BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Monday said their party would work to further strengthen Bangladesh’s business organisations to overcome bureaucratic complexities and revitalise the economy. “From my experience as a former commerce minister, I learned that
Sammilito Islami Bank received deposits amounting to Tk 440 million in the first two days of its operation. BB Governor Dr Ahsan H. Mansur disclosed this at a press briefing on Monday at the BB headquarters, where the newborn Islamic bank’s Chairman Dr Ayub Miah, administrators of the five
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has taken a step towards fully digitising the country's VAT administration by introducing a new initiative that allows taxpayers to bring all previously submitted paper-based VAT returns under the e-VAT system. It has added a sub-module titled "Hard Copy Return
Bangladesh has achieved a measure of macroeconomic stabilisation, but the progress has come at the cost of slower economic growth, weak investment and declining purchasing power, speakers said at a policy dialogue in the capital on Sunday. The observations were made at the launch of the latest iss
The VAT base has expanded sharply following a special nationwide registration drive in December 2025, as the National Board of Revenue (NBR) brought more than 131,000 new entities under the value-added tax (VAT) system. The campaign, timed with VAT Day and VAT Week, exceeded official targets and u
Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have surged to the $33 billion mark, reaching a three-year high, bolstered by a massive influx of remittances and strategic dollar purchases by the central bank. According to the latest data from the Bangladesh Bank, expatriate Bangladeshis sent $3.04 b
Bangladesh Bank has finalised the scheme to merge five troubled Shariah-based banks into a single entity named ‘Sammilito Islami Bank PLC’. This newly formed bank will acquire First Security Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank, Union Bank, Global Islami Bank, and EXIM Bank. The central ba
