Cost of MRT-1, 5 trimmed to Tk 2.04 lakh crore
5 HOUR(s)
The revised estimated cost of the Japan-funded Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-1 and Line-5 projects has been set at Tk 2,03,800 crore, down 4.75 percent from an earlier proposal.
5 HOUR(s)
N’ganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur route: Electric trains on the cards
14 September 2026
The government is set to introduce electric trains for the first time in Bangladesh on the 52km Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur route.
14 September 2026
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
Bangladesh Bank Reserve Heist: Int’l payment system now slower, costlier
It has been four years since a band of hackers broke into this Bangladesh Bank’s account with the New York Fed with the intent to pull off what would have been the biggest cyber heist in history.
3 February 2020
The billion-dollar hit job
The way unknown hackers hatched plans to steal money from the Bangladesh Bank’s reserves with the New York Fed using the most sophisticated banking and payment channels as well their near-perfect preparation and timing will render many detective stories and Hollywood movies average.
3 February 2020
Widening job market a challenging prospect
The government’s target to create 1.13 crore new jobs in the next five years does pose a significant challenge, despite the country’s high economic growth rate, according to a revised five-year plan from the planning ministry.
28 January 2020
Newly confident Bangladesh to flag off Development Forum
There was a time when Bangladeshi finance ministers would land in Paris with a briefcase in hand to seek financial assistance from donors.
27 January 2020
World Bank sees headwinds ahead for Bangladesh
The World Bank yesterday praised the progress Bangladesh achieved in recent years but apprehends a struggle ahead for the low tax revenue and banking sector’s poor condition.
26 January 2020
Docking bad loans has now become critical
Age is the price of wisdom, it is often said. And an audience with the immediate past finance minister, AMA Muhith, calls to mind that saying.
24 January 2020
Banking sector poised to derail growth momentum for Bangladesh economy
The current vulnerable state of the banking sector steeped in default loans poses the biggest danger to sustenance of Bangladesh’s tremendous growth momentum, said the International Monetary Fund.
22 January 2020
‘We are a nation in a hurry’
Halfway through an interview at the Planning Commission, Planning Minister MA Mannan is asked about the logic behind the inordinate number of projects that are in implementation at any given moment.
19 January 2020
WB-Funded Projects/Programmes 2016-20: Only half the targets met
Bangladesh could achieve only a little more than half of the targets set by the World Bank Group for 84 projects and programmes in the last four years, says a draft performance review report of the World Bank Group.
19 January 2020
Payra coal power plant takes off
Coal-fired Payra power plant in Patuakhali began test production yesterday, making it the first large-scale plant to come into operation since the Awami League swept to power a decade ago.
13 January 2020
Private banks ready for Basel III
Most of the private banks have raised their capital base in line with the Basel III requirements three months prior to the deadline set to reach the global regulatory standard.
12 January 2020
Dedicated Rail Bridge Over Jamuna: Work yet to start, cost up by 33pc
The project cost of building a rail bridge over the Jamuna river has increased by Tk 3,216 crore even before the start of physical work.
9 January 2020
Farm mechanisation gets a shot in the arm
Farmers may get 50 to 70 percent incentive while buying agricultural machinery and also avail low-cost loans, as the government looks to pivot to farm mechanisation amid rising costs and growing labour shortage.
8 January 2020
‘It’s not possible to do everything overnight’
The man with the plan, is the impression one walks away with after an audience with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. Later, one is invariably met with the question: was he being a little too optimistic and naive?
2 January 2020
Govt’s solid plan for single-digit interest rate
Bangladesh Bank is set to raise the loan-deposit ratio by another 1 percentage point as it looks to reduce the interest rate for manufacturing sector and increase lendable fund of banks.
29 December 2019
Budget deficit goes over 5pc boundary
Budget deficit, which is when spending exceeds revenue, is set to cross the sensible perimeter of 5 percent of GDP in fiscal 2018-19 for the first time in 12 years on the back of ebbing collections of the tax administrator.
28 December 2019
Terminal to match aspirations
First impressions are the most lasting, it is often said. And in case of cities and countries, it is often airports that provides that.
27 December 2019
Shrinking revenue a growing worry
Sometimes things have to go wrong in order to go right, American author Sherrilyn Kenyon once said.
27 December 2019
Rohingya Relocation to Bhashan Char: Govt plans facilities for UN, aid agencies
The government has planned to construct a four-storey building on Bhashan Char for the UN and aid agency representatives to ensure effective monitoring of humanitarian activities for one lakh Rohingya refugees to be relocated to the island from Cox’s Bazar.
16 December 2019
Another MRT line in the offing
The government yesterday signed a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank to get the long-cherished MRT Line-5 (southern route) project going.
11 December 2019