Reserves on rise despite fuel, fertiliser shock
12 September 2026
When war in the Middle East sent fuel prices climbing, Bangladesh looked like an obvious casualty. An import-dependent economy with a thin reserve cushion and a recent history of dollar shortages had every reason to buckle. It has not.
12 September 2026
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
Target more export, remittance
The government plans to boost exports by promoting large industries and send a record number of migrant workers abroad to raise foreign currency reserves.
7 June 2022
WB revises down growth forecast for Bangladesh
Taking into account the Ukraine war, the World Bank reduced Bangladesh’s economic growth projection to 6.7 percent for the next fiscal year from its January forecast of 6.9 percent.
7 June 2022
New VAT likely for handsets, internet
The government is likely to hike value-added tax (VAT) on broadband internet and impose a 5 per cent VAT on handsets manufacturing in the upcoming budget, which will increase handset and internet prices from next fiscal year.
7 June 2022
Elderly poor, others: Govt to shelve safety net expansion plan
The government is going to discard its plan to bring all elderly poor under its social safety net programmes in 100 more upazilas in a bid to prevent the non-poor from misusing the support.
7 June 2022
Govt to miss inflation targets in FY22, next year
The government has set an inflation target of 5.5 per cent for the next fiscal year although the prices of basic commodities are sitting at elevated levels for higher commodities prices globally amid lingering supply chain disruptions and the Russia-Ukraine war.
5 June 2022
Block allocations: Focus shifts to war fallout from jabs
The government is not keeping a separate allocation for vaccines in the next fiscal year’s budget as it pulls back from vaccine procurement given the high inoculation rate and low infection rates.
4 June 2022
Foreign aid disbursement up 58pc in 10 months
Foreign assistance disbursement jumped 58 per cent in the current fiscal year’s July-April period thanks to spending for vaccination, one-time budget support and implementation of mega projects, including that of the Russia-funded Rooppur nuclear power plant.
3 June 2022
Budget 2022-23: More tax for the rich
Bank accounts with upwards of Tk 1 crore in balance are set to face a higher excise duty next fiscal year as the government looks to collect more taxes from the relatively well-off to get close to the lofty revenue collection target.
2 June 2022
Bringing back black money: Will amnesty work at all?
Wishful thinking -- is what best describes the maiden tax amnesty campaign the government is planning to lure money back home next fiscal year.
31 May 2022
Tax measures: Tailored for ‘Made in Bangladesh’
There is bad news for consumers of imported luxury items: they will get dearer thanks to the tax measures the National Board of Revenue is preparing for the new fiscal year that begins on July 1.
30 May 2022
Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway: Time, cost gallop even before work starts
Work for the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project is yet to formally start but the deadline for the mega project is to expire in just over a month.
26 May 2022
Budget 2022-23: Better targeted social safety net
The government is committed to using the long-overdue National Household Database (NHD) from the next fiscal year to better target the social safety net programmes, in a development that can infuse dynamism in the flat scheme.
26 May 2022
Inflation, forex pressure: Govt moves to rein them in
The government has ramped up its measures to contain the pressure on foreign currency reserves and inflation, drafting an action plan to discourage non-essential imports and bring relief to the poor and the vulnerable from the spiralling cost of living.
25 May 2022
Cleaning black money loses steam
Black money holders appear to have lost the appetite to legalise their undisclosed wealth if the tax collected from this source in the first nine months of the fiscal year is any indication.
22 May 2022
Bank borrowing may hamper recovery
When thinking outside the box was needed, the government opted for the tried-and-tested method.
22 May 2022
Hopeless revenue target: No major tax hike planned
Wishy-washy -- is what best describes the government’s stance on scaling up its narrow revenue base, which is posing to become the Achilles’ heel to Bangladesh’s growth aspirations.
20 May 2022
Govt faces higher import costs for fertiliser
The country will have to import fertiliser at higher prices from the international market in the wake of the global price hike due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
19 May 2022
Level-headed development targets
Pragmatism was the order of the day when the finance division sat down to draft the development budget for fiscal 2021-22.
16 May 2022
Record subsidy, but will it be enough?
Strange times are these in which we live when record subsidy allocation may still come short of what is needed.
14 May 2022
Forex reserves under strain: Govt defers employees' foreign tours, less important projects
The government finally raised its guard against the dwindling dollar reserves, putting its employees’ foreign tours on hold and deferring projects that require much imports.
12 May 2022