Refayet Ullah Mirdha

Bangladesh is pursuing a dual-track strategy to retain duty-free access to the European Union after graduating from the least developed country (LDC) category, negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc while also seeking to qualify for its GSP Plus trade preference scheme.

When China widened duty-free access to 97 percent of Bangladeshi products in 2020 and later extended the concession to almost all goods in 2024, it appeared to offer Bangladesh a rare opening.

Swedish retail giant H&M has said Bangladesh remains “a very important sourcing market”, amid media reports suggesting it may reduce purchases from the country.

Jerseys manufactured in Bangladesh were worn by the Cape Verde national team during their World Cup debut match against Spain

Although a Bangladeshi team is not taking part in the FIFA World Cup 2026, products “made in Bangladesh” have still made their way to football’s biggest stage.

Bangladesh is preparing a formal response to the USTR’s claim that the country has failed to prevent imports of goods made with forced labour, in a bid to avoid a proposed 10 percent tariff on its exports to the United States.

Although the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 offers some measures that are aligned with the government’s Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) for LDC graduation, it lacks a dedicated framework with preparations for this watershed moment, which is due in November, experts said.

The government has proposed withdrawing source tax on the import of 60 essential commodities, aiming to improve the standard of living of every individual and family in the country

The government has proposed the complete withdrawal of import duty on 51 new raw materials used in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to make medicines more affordable for consumers in the domestic marke

Once implemented, the international airports in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet will gradually be upgraded into full-fledged logistics hubs, which will significantly expand the e-commerce sector

After a long period of closure, the government has also restarted the process of reopening labour markets in Malaysia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, the finance minister said during his budget speech today

The government also proposed exempting 100 percent export-oriented compliant garment factories from mandatory annual bond audits

Japan is looking to increase imports of garment products from Bangladesh, with Japanese companies seeking local business partners to strengthen sourcing under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed between the two countries.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will hold an emergency board meeting today to review the persistent decline in garment exports.

The government is planning to form a high-level committee to implement and monitor the action plans it has committed to the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UN CDP), as part of efforts to ensure a smooth graduation from the least developed country (LDC) group.

Bangladesh should show clear progress in the reforms it has committed to the UN CDP to secure a short deferral of its LDC graduation, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), yesterday.

The US has proposed fresh tariffs on 60 countries, including Bangladesh, because they have failed to prove they do not import industrial raw materials from places where forced labour is used.

Bangladesh is expected to play a significant role in a new US initiative aimed at boosting American cotton exports, as the Trump administration links potential tariff benefits for Bangladeshi apparel exports to the use of US cotton and textile inputs.

The European Union is set to begin an internal assessment of Bangladesh’s proposal for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc, nearly a year after the proposal was first placed.

More than 95 percent of factories across garment and textile associations paid April salaries ahead of Eid-ul-Azha as of yesterday evening, according to Industrial Police (IP) data.