IMF Loan: Bangladesh may get next tranche in June
15 March 2026, 02:52 AM
Bangladesh could receive a $1.3 billion tranche from its loan programme with the International Monetary Fund by June if the new government moves ahead with reforms to make the dollar exchange rate more market-based, strengthen revenue collection, reduce subsidies, and address weaknesses in the banking sector.
15 March 2026, 02:52 AM
US-Israel war on Iran: Seven-minister committee to shield shocks
11 March 2026, 02:24 AM
The government has formed a high-powered cabinet committee to draw up a crisis management plan, aiming to safeguard economic stability amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.
11 March 2026, 02:24 AM
Family Card pilot to cover 40,000 households
8 March 2026, 03:04 AM
Some Tk 39 crore has been set aside from the block allocation from this fiscal year’s revised budget, a finance ministry official told The Daily Star.
8 March 2026, 03:04 AM
Govt aims to gradually issue 2cr family cards
25 February 2026, 02:36 AM
The government is set to launch the pilot phase of its family card programme on March 10 with the ultimate aim of gradually bringing two crore families under monthly cash support.
25 February 2026, 02:36 AM
Govt faces $30b debt servicing bill
23 February 2026, 02:04 AM
Bangladesh is set to spend over $30 billion this fiscal year to service its debts, covering both principal repayments and interest on domestic and foreign loans, according to projections by the International Monetary Fund.
23 February 2026, 02:04 AM
Salehuddin leaves office outlining 20 priority tasks for Khosru
22 February 2026, 00:00 AM
The list includes managing high inflation, weak tax collection, rising debt
22 February 2026, 00:00 AM
LDC graduation: Government asks UN for three-year deferment
20 February 2026, 02:36 AM
The government, on its first full day in office, formally sought a three-year deferral of Bangladesh’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category.
20 February 2026, 02:36 AM
New govt faces 5 early economic tests
19 February 2026, 02:35 AM
The new finance minister, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, may have arrived in office with a long list of priorities -- fiscal reform, banking stability, and negotiations with international lenders.
19 February 2026, 02:35 AM
Tk 2,492cr projects to fight Covid-19
The government will set up isolation and critical care units in district hospitals all over the country as part of its efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
2 June 2020, 18:00 PM
Tk 2,492cr projects to fight COVID-19 to get nod today
Two projects worth Tk 2,492 crore chalked out as part of the government’s plan to fight the pandemic will be tabled in today’s meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec).
1 June 2020, 18:00 PM
Inflation declines drastically
Inflation fell 61 basis points to 5.35 per cent in May from a month earlier owing to a drastic fall in food prices caused by a collapse in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic.
1 June 2020, 18:00 PM
Govt not going overboard with subsidy expenditure next fiscal year
That the subsidy expenditure would go up next fiscal year as the government scrambles to keep the pandemic-induced recession from undoing decades of progress in alleviating poverty and elevating its citizens into the middle-class -- was a given.
31 May 2020, 18:00 PM
IMF to lend $732m for urgent needs
The optics look perfect. The global lender of last resort coming to the rescue of a not-too-well-endowed country struggling with the economic impact of the pandemic with no strings attached.
30 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Money whitening scope to widen
The government may allow uses of untaxed or black money in all sectors to boost investment and create jobs as part of its efforts to pull the economy out of Covid-19 wreckage.
29 May 2020, 18:00 PM
New jobs dry up amid shutdown
New job postings nosedived 87 percent year-on-year in April on the leading job search sites in Bangladesh, highlighting the strain the country’s labour market has been going through because of the coronavirus pandemic.
29 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Safety net spending to be higher
The budgetary allocation for safety net programmes would see a major uptick in the next fiscal year as the government looks to widen the number of beneficiaries struggling to make ends meet because of the coronavirus outbreak.
28 May 2020, 18:00 PM
$250m from World Bank on the way
Bangladesh is on course to availing $250 million in loans from the World Bank this fiscal year to bring in reforms to address jobs challenges by modernising trade and investment environment, strengthening systems that protect workers and improving policies that enhance access to jobs for vulnerable populations.
21 May 2020, 18:00 PM
‘It is incumbent on international community to ensure Bangladesh does not slip back’
In an uncharacteristic gesture of goodwill, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) yesterday approved $250 million in loans as budget support to Bangladesh to cope with the economic impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.
21 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Shutdown gobbles up NBR collections last month
Revenue collection crashed more than 55 per cent in April, revealing the massive hit the Bangladesh economy has taken from the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
21 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Health sector gets biggest bump up in next year’s development budget
The government appears to have paid heed to the growing calls for a bigger health budget, with its allocation from the annual development programme soaring 28.92 per cent next fiscal year, the highest amongst the 12 sectors.
19 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Tax-free income limit to go up to Tk 3 lakh
The government may increase the tax-free income limit for individual taxpayers after five years in fiscal 2020-21 to give relief to people in the lower-income bracket such that they can manage the economic hardship brought on by the pandemic better, said officials of the finance ministry yesterday.
18 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Overcapacity in power sector to increase financial loss: study
Bangladesh’s plan for significant coal- and LNG-fired power plant additions will cause substantial overcapacity, with major financial implications, said a new study.
18 May 2020, 18:00 PM
NBR to roll out VAT e-payment pilot from June
The National Board of Revenue plans to introduce e-payment for value-added tax on a pilot basis from June to automate the VAT system and administration, ease the hassles faced by businesses and reduce the time and the cost of compliance.
17 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Imports crash in April, as expected
The country’s import decreased 62 per cent year-on-year to $1.95 billion in April as industrial production has almost come to a halt due to the ongoing shutdown to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.
17 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Tax noose likely to be loosened to kickstart economy
With the pandemic-induced lockdown battering livelihoods and choking cash flow across the board, the tax authority is working to give a breathing room to businesses and individual taxpayers in the low-income bracket.
16 May 2020, 18:00 PM
$700m may come from IMF and with no strings attached
Bangladesh is set to request the International Monetary Fund (IMF) within a week to extend $700 million in emergency financing to help the country avoid being overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
13 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Now Jica, IsDB come forward with budget support
In an uncharacteristic move, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have agreed to provide budget support to Bangladesh to meet its growing expenditure needs in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, which has firmly taken hold in the country.
12 May 2020, 18:00 PM
Shutdown reins in development activities in April
Development spending in Bangladesh decelerated in April on the back of the countrywide shutdown enforced since March 26, with the government managing to use Tk 8,136 crore during the month, down 23 per cent from the previous month.
12 May 2020, 18:00 PM