Mamun Rashid

For years, local businesses have struggled with an invisible but formidable opponent: a web of outdated, inconsistent, confusing and burdensome regulations. Navigating this bureaucratic maze has often meant facing unpredictable delays, opaque procedures, and uneven enforcement.

There is no doubt that Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry has shown remarkable potential.

The World Bank recently urged Bangladesh to implement a comprehensive set of reforms to restore confidence in our financial system, which has been weakened by poor governance, political interference and related lending.

When we hear the phrase “conflict of interest,” many of us picture shady backroom political deals. But in truth, conflicts of interest are just as rampant in the world of business, especially in Bangladesh’s fast-growing economy, where family ties and personal connections often blur professional lines.

The path ahead is becoming clearer, and more complicated.

Moody’s recently downgraded the outlook for Bangladesh’s banking sector to negative due to increasing asset risks and worsening economic conditions.

The start-up ecosystem in Bangladesh is experiencing a period of exciting growth, driven largely by a youthful, entrepreneurial population eager to make their mark.

US President Donald Trump has done what he had long wanted to do – try to increase America’s revenue in every possible way.

Bangladesh needs rigorous legal strategy to reclaim its illegally transferred assets.

I, along with some seniors from Standard Chartered Bank, went to meet the-then finance minister SAMS Kibria in late 2000 to share our decision to acquire ANZ Grindlays Bank.

Despite being a humble banking professional, I am very lucky to have been engaged with the country’s budgetary process since the early ‘90s. Many champions, including Saifur Rahman, Shah AMS Kibria, AB Mirza Azizul Islam, Akbar Ali Khan, Masihur Rahman and Khairuzzaman Chowdhury, valued my inputs and private sector insights.

In Bangladesh, nearly 70 percent of total tax revenue comes from indirect taxes.

The banking industry is profoundly transformed by changing customer behaviour, technological advancements, and competitive pressures.

His post-independence contributions reflect his lifelong devotion to nation-building.

I perused the 2024 audited financials of Citibank, N.A., Bank Alfalah, Habib Bank, and Commercial Bank of Ceylon in the newspapers last week.

Non-performing loans (NPLs) in Bangladesh soared by Tk 1.34 lakh crore in the second half of 2024, reaching Tk 3.45 lakh crore by December.

While Bangladesh’s move toward graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status is a testament to decades of perseverance and growth, it will be time to take on the weight that comes with it once the celebration dies down.

Bangladesh’s higher education system faces a critical issue: While universities are expanding rapidly, an increasing number of degree-holding graduates are struggling to find meaningful employment because employers cannot find graduates with the necessary skills.

Bangladesh has mostly failed to achieve its targeted level of foreign direct investments (FDIs), with investment inflow amounting to only 0.75 percent of GDP in 2023, according to UNCTAD.

As we have been talking about enhanced transparency and accountability recently, it’s important to have forensic audits, including specialised examinations of financial records which can uncover fraud, corruption or mismanagement.