Energy: Govt okays 18 LNG cargoes from Total Energies
10 September 2026
After approving a long-term deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a US-based firm, the government yesterday decided to import at least 18 LNG cargoes from France’s TotalEnergies over the next nine months under a direct purchase arrangement.
10 September 2026
Another metro getting on track
7 September 2026
The MRT-5 southern route is finally getting a move on, with the project set to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) next week for approval.
7 September 2026
Where access to freshwater is a daily struggle
5 September 2026
Sharmin Begum, who lives in Barguna’s Patharghata upazila, may have done little to contribute to global warming, but she is suffering severely from its adverse impacts.
5 September 2026
LNG bill to triple as war drags on
4 September 2026
The escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens to nearly triple Bangladesh’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) subsidy bill to Tk 40,000 crore ($3.3 billion) this fiscal year, forcing the government to turn to multilateral lenders for additional assistance.
4 September 2026
Bangladesh paying near-peak prices for LNG
3 September 2026
Bangladesh is paying its highest spot price for liquefied natural gas (LNG) since the onset of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, approving a cargo at over $28 per unit as geopolitical supply shocks and domestic infrastructure failures converge to create a severe energy crisis.
3 September 2026
National pay scale: Hurrah for government employees
1 September 2026
The government yesterday approved the largest pay hike for civil service since independence, doubling the basic salary of top officials and raising the lowest pay by a record 142 percent.
1 September 2026
Fertiliser shock raises poverty risk
31 August 2026
US war on Iran could cause a 30% price hike this year
31 August 2026
WB on middle-east war fallout: Job loss, rise in poverty feared in Bangladesh
29 August 2026
The risks are mounting, warns a mid-June World Bank assessment on the proposed Contingent Emergency Response Project, which would provide budget support to the government.
29 August 2026
Bangladesh still stays at bottom in business environment
The Washington-based multilateral lender’s Business Ready (B-Ready) report, which was released yesterday, also places Bangladesh in the fourth tier of five stages for public service delivery, indicating weaker performance in this area too
10 October 2024
WB cuts FY25 growth forecast to 4 percent
The World Bank has slashed its forecast for Bangladesh’s economic growth by 1.7 percentage points to 4 percent for FY25 due to “significant uncertainties following recent political turmoil” and “data unavailability”.
10 October 2024
Why the cost of Matarbari deep-sea port project is going up
Four years after its approval, the cost of the Matarbari deep-sea port project in Cox’s Bazar has escalated, while the deadline has been pushed back too.
8 October 2024
Banks mostly gave loans to their owners rather than creditworthy borrowers
Bangladesh’s banking sector was not well-managed in recent years. Banks mostly gave loans to their owners, rather than to creditworthy entities. Consequently, several banks are now in difficulty.
6 October 2024
IMF reaffirms support in fighting economic challenges
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reaffirmed its support for Bangladesh’s interim government in overcoming the various economic challenges the country has been facing in recent times.
30 September 2024
IMF reaffirms support for interim government
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reaffirmed its support for Bangladesh’s interim government in overcoming the various economic challenges the country has been facing in recent times.
30 September 2024
Distressed loans soar to a record Tk 4.75 lakh cr
Distressed loans at banks totalled over Tk 4.75 lakh crore at the end of 2023 – a revelation that makes for a sobering read of the actual health of this vital sector of the economy.
30 September 2024
Per capita foreign debt more than doubles in eight years
Per capita foreign debt of Bangladesh more than doubled in the last eight years, according to official data, as economists attribute the hike to unplanned foreign-funded projects and corruption, ultimately ballooning the liability on low-income people, including the extremely poor.
28 September 2024
Interest payments surpass Tk 100,000cr for first time
The government’s interest payments against foreign loans surged 24.5 percent in fiscal year 2023-24, exceeding the Tk 100,000 crore mark for the first time in history, thanks to higher borrowing costs for loans from both domestic and foreign sources.
26 September 2024
IMF to provide more loans on a fast track
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has assured the interim government of providing more loans on a “fast-track” basis as Bangladesh expects $3 billion from the global lender.
25 September 2024
Inflation to hit double digits by end of FY25: ADB
Inflation is projected to hit double digits at the end of the current fiscal year owing to supply-side disruptions and higher import costs as a result of currency depreciation, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
25 September 2024
Metro line-5 proposal to be re-evaluated
For the first time, a proposal for a mega project will be sent back for further review as the interim government intends to re-evaluate all large projects to assess their usefulness carefully.
23 September 2024
IMF may seek subsidy cuts, more revenue against $3b loan
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to give more reform recommendations to reduce subsidies and increase revenue collection for an additional $3 billion loan sought by the interim government, according to a top official of the multilateral lender in Dhaka.
22 September 2024
IMF to assess Bangladesh’s need for fresh loan
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation due to arrive later this month will assess Bangladesh’s potential financial needs as the country sought a fresh $3 billion loan from the multilateral lender.
14 September 2024
Govt urges China to reduce loan interest, extend repayment period
The government has requested China to lower the interest rates on existing Chinese loans to 1 percent and extend the repayment period to 30 years.
12 September 2024
Workers’ minimum wage to be reviewed
In an effort to bring normalcy back to the industries, the government will review the workers’ wage through the minimum wage board, the interim government has decided.
12 September 2024
Bangladesh seeks $3b from ADB, WB
Bangladesh could get $3 billion in budgetary support under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB) arrangement for energy and power sector reforms and the upcoming status graduation from a least developed country (LDC) to a developing nation in 2026.
10 September 2024
Export target set at $57.5b for FY25
Bangladesh aims to increase its merchandise and service exports by about 12.74 percent year-on-year to $57.5 billion in the fiscal year 2024-25, according to Finance and Commerce Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.
8 September 2024
Govt may trim budget by Tk 100,000cr
The interim government is planning to revise the national budget for the current fiscal year urgently and cut “wasteful expenditures” in order to alleviate the pressure on the foreign currency reserves and tame persistent inflation.
31 August 2024
Budget support: Govt hunts for $8b from IMF, other lenders
The government is seeking as much as $8 billion in budget support by December from the development partners, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to pay back foreign liabilities and boost foreign exchange reserves.
28 August 2024