Govt’s debt burden crosses Tk 22 lakh crore
3 hour(s) ago
Bangladesh’s total public debt burden has crossed Tk 22 lakh crore by December 2025 with a growing reliance on domestic sources as the government looks to “insulate the economy from foreign currency risks”.
3 hour(s) ago
Next fiscal year’s budget: Tk 35,000cr likely to be set aside for new pay scale
4 May 2026, 00:00 AM
About Tk 35,000 crore is likely to be allocated in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget for the partial implementation of the new pay scale for government officials, pensioners and MPO-listed teachers and staff.
4 May 2026, 00:00 AM
$3b expected by June from development partners
3 May 2026, 00:00 AM
Bangladesh is expecting $3 billion in budget support by the middle of June from five multilateral and bilateral lenders, including the World Bank, in what would provide a sigh of relief to the government from the financial pressure triggered by the Middle East war.
3 May 2026, 00:00 AM
Teknaf to Tentulia economic corridor on the horizon
29 April 2026, 00:00 AM
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has proposed a 20-year development plan involving about $79 billion to build a major economic corridor from Teknaf to Tentulia with the view to decongesting Dhaka and Chattogram, in line with the BNP’s election manifesto.
29 April 2026, 00:00 AM
Anomalies found in Family Card pilot
28 April 2026, 00:00 AM
The finance ministry has found a host of anomalies in the pilot of the Family Card programme, as the government seeks to iron out irregularities and ensure the BNP’s flagship social welfare initiative can withstand the scrutiny of development partners.
28 April 2026, 00:00 AM
Cost of customs upgrade project set for 40% hike
26 April 2026, 00:00 AM
Three years after launch and with 99 percent of its budget unspent, a nearly Tk 1,700 crore customs modernisation project is set to be presented to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today with a proposal to extend its deadline and raise costs by nearly 40 percent.
26 April 2026, 00:00 AM
Govt to establish 170 urban health centres in Dhaka, Ctg
25 April 2026, 00:00 AM
The government plans to set up at least one Urban Primary Health and Nutrition Centre in every ward of Dhaka North, Dhaka South, and Chattogram city corporations for residents deprived of care due to fragmented delivery of services.
25 April 2026, 00:00 AM
Govt eyeing $2b in emergency aid from IMF
23 April 2026, 00:00 AM
Bangladesh is eyeing $2 billion in emergency aid from the IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) window to cushion the economic shock stemming from the Middle East war.
23 April 2026, 00:00 AM
China-funded Projects: Joint body to probe slow pace
A joint working group will be formed to probe the slow progress of the 27 projects involving around $20 billion that China had agreed to provide during President Xi Jinping’s Dhaka visit in October 2016.
17 July 2019, 18:00 PM
Govt formulates strategy to raise revenue collection
The government has devised a strategy to ramp up revenue collection by Tk 60,000 crore in the new fiscal year in order to help the National Board of Revenue (NBR) reach its tax mobilisation goal.
11 July 2019, 18:00 PM
Subsidy burden gets heavier
The government’s subsidy expenditure has soared 29.36 percent to Tk 46,385 crore this fiscal year largely due to its concessions on demands from pressure groups.
7 July 2019, 18:00 PM
India-funded $7.5b projects move at snail’s pace
Projects involving about $7.5 billion under the three Indian lines of credit are progressing slowly owing to lengthy processes in land acquisition, change in design and delays in hiring consultants and document preparation.
4 July 2019, 18:00 PM
No handouts for state banks last fiscal year
State banks did not get a single penny from taxpayers in the just concluded fiscal year to make up their capital deficit, in a clear sign from the government of its intent to stop pampering the errant lenders.
3 July 2019, 18:00 PM
MPO spending tops Tk 15,000cr
With around 3,000 more educational institutions coming under the monthly pay order scheme anytime soon, the government has proposed to allocate Tk 15,001 crore this fiscal year for salaries of all the teachers and staff on the MPO list.
3 July 2019, 18:00 PM
Banks to transfer incentive to accounts of remitters
Banks will transfer incentive to the bank accounts of remitters or their beneficiaries like they do in case of exporters as the maiden
1 July 2019, 18:00 PM
Swiss Banks: Bangladeshis’ deposits rise to Tk 5,341cr
Bangladeshis’ deposits in Swiss banks increased by 28.33 percent year-on-year in 2018 to 617.72 million Swiss francs or Tk 5,341 crore, according to the Swiss National Bank (SNB).
27 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Chemical warehouses to be temporarily moved to Gazipur
The government is going to shift chemical warehouses of Old Dhaka to Kathaldia in Gazipur’s Tongi temporarily, as the long-time plan to set up a permanent hub will take time.
16 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Public enterprises incur Tk 4,325cr losses
After a span of five years, state-owned enterprises jointly incurred a loss in the outgoing fiscal year largely because of Bangladesh
12 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Three major challenges
Former finance minister AMA Muhith has said his successor faces three major challenges: increasing the size of the national budget, realising more revenue and improving the banking sector.
11 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Less ambitious, more realistic
In a break from the past, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal will set a more realistic revenue income target in his maiden budget, but may shy away from undertaking some much-needed economic reforms.
11 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Govt’s bank borrowing to soar 77pc
The government may bump up bank borrowing by as much as 77.32 percent to Tk 54,800 crore for financing the budget deficit in fiscal 2019-20 as it looks to reduce overdependence on saving instruments.
11 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Tk 100cr fund for budding entrepreneurs
The government is set to create a Tk 100 crore fund for start-ups as it looks to alleviate youth unemployment, which is progressively becoming an albatross for the country.
10 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Tax holiday may continue for infrastructure, industries
The government is likely to extend the tax exemption benefit on income from investment in infrastructure and industries in lagging regions for five years to encourage private investment and job creation.
10 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Scope likely for whitening black money again
The government may once again offer scope for whitening black money through investment in industries to boost private investment, say finance ministry officials.
9 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Safety net to spread out
The government plans to bring in more people under its social safety net programme, including all disabled people, in the next budget as it looks to share the gains of the higher economic growth clocked in recent years with a larger section of the underprivileged in the society.
9 June 2019, 18:00 PM
River Erosion: Govt plans to allocate Tk 100cr for victims
The government is planning to allocate Tk 100 crore to rehabilitate the victims of river erosion across the country.
8 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Five VAT rates on cards
The government is likely to whittle down value-added tax rates to five from existing seven as it is getting ready to implement the new VAT law from the next fiscal year, seven years after its enactment.
8 June 2019, 18:00 PM
Tk 60,000cr for interest payment
The government’s interest burden is likely to get heavier in the upcoming fiscal year thanks to its excessive reliance on high-cost national savings certificates to fund its expenditures.
1 June 2019, 18:00 PM