Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abdur Rahman Khan said that they have gradually been adopting information technology to improve compliance, expand the tax base and reduce human discretion in revenue administration. "With digital data, we can analyse taxpayer behaviour and assess th
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved nine development projects involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 36,695.72 crore (Tk 366.96 billion). The approvals came from the 11th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year (FY26) with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime
Bangladesh Bank has purchased dollars from commercial banks for two consecutive days in the second week of May. The central bank bought $20 million from a commercial bank on Tuesday at a rate of Tk 122.75 per dollar, according to officials. A day earlier, the regulator purchased $45 million from
A high-level meeting on the progress, challenges and future action plans of the Universal Pension Scheme was held on Tuesday chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury at the conference room of his office at Bangladesh Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Executive Chairman of th
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has described Bangladesh’s current state of investment amid the internal and global economic headwinds of the past few years as “painful”. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Bangladesh Startup Investment Company (BSIC), esta
A gradual shift away from excessive "industrial protectionism" is underscored by experts as they say policy chokehold undercuts export competitiveness, discourages investment and raises consumer costs. Eventually, they opine, Bangladesh's current regulated trade and tariff regime constrains long-t
A government initiative is afoot to integrate various potential sectors of 'creative economy' into the mainstream to create high-value creative employment, increasing export earnings, ensuring cultural enrichment, and establishing social coherence. Officials say the initiative has been taken as pa
In a significant move to ease international travel for Bangladeshis, Bangladesh Bank (BB) has allowed the remittance of mandatory visa bonds and refundable security deposits required by foreign embassies, high commissions, and other visa authorities. The central bank issued a circular on Sunday, i
Bangladesh's external account looks stable with gross foreign-exchange reserves standing above US $34 billion despite deferred import payment through the Asian Clearing Unit (ACU), official statistics show. The government cleared payments worth $1.51 billion against imports made in March-April per
Bangladesh's large-scale manufacturing sector contracted sharply in February, weighed down mainly by a steep decline in garment production amid election-related disruptions and subdued export orders. Industry insiders and economists said fewer working days during the election period and Ramadan, c
Bangladesh overtakes China to become second-largest apparel exporter to the United States in value terms, as of the first quarter of 2026, in a major shift in global sourcing patterns amid tariff spats. Chinese shipments to the American market continue to decline sharply under retaliatory ta
The government has decided not to approve any development project unless it ensures economic value in terms of return on investment, employment generation and environmental sustainability, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said Sunday. He said many of around 1,300 projects under the cu
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said the government has decided not to undertake projects that fail to ensure returns on investment, employment generation and environmental sustainability. He said many of the nearly 1,300 projects currently under the Annual Dev
