The ongoing demonstration has disrupted businesses and trade activities nationwide

Protesting National Board of Revenue officials have announced an all-out shutdown from Saturday if the tax authority’s chairman is not removed by today.

Bangladesh’s budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is missing out on enabling transformative trade policy reforms amidst two looming challenges—LDC graduation and US reciprocal tariffs, Policy Research Institute (PRI) warned in a post-budget analysis yesterday.

Let’s begin this serious discussion with two extremely serious incidents, both tragic in their own way. A Sardarjee, celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, took his highly educated and poetic wife to a posh candlelight dinner.

United Commercial Bank (UCB), one of the oldest private banks in Bangladesh, looks to return to sustainable profitability within around two years as it takes steps to improve governance, recover loans, and enhance asset quality.

The Directorate of Post, which oversees mobile financial service (MFS) provider Nagad, has restructured its board.

Bangladesh’s allocation to social safety net programmes is inadequate, and a significant portion of the existing funds does not reach the poor, said speakers at a discussion in Dhaka yesterday.

Despite their multibillion-dollar export potential, Bangladesh’s agro-based products are yet to account for a substantial portion of the global market due to systemic challenges in compliance, quality control, and value addition, according to experts and industry leaders.

The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (Idra) has finalised a draft of the Insurance Resolution Ordinance 2025, which would grant the regulator sweeping powers to declare financially troubled insurers bankrupt.

Inadequate safety net fails poor; funds diverted, direct aid urged

Budget lacks bold trade reforms amid LDC graduation, US tariff threats

Despite its potential to accelerate economic growth, Bangladesh’s automobile sector remains constrained by the absence of a conducive national policy, keeping logistics costs among the highest in the world.

Bangladesh’s economic confidence has improved following the announcement of a firm election timeline, ending political uncertainty that had been weighing on investor sentiment, according to Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

Officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) who are currently staging demonstrations over, among other issues, recent transfer orders, yesterday announced that they would not join a meeting called by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed today.

A joint taskforce is going to be formed to introduce legal changes that would make it mandatory for large companies to go public if their loans or turnover cross a certain threshold, said the stock market regulator yesterday.

Bangladesh needs to expand its renewable energy capacity by 21 percent annually to meet its latest green energy target by 2030, requiring nearly $1 billion in yearly investment, according to a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves hit $22.24 billion on June 24, the highest since August 2023, boosting the country’s capacity to pay import bills for over four months, as multilateral lenders released budget support funds for the government.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that China can continue to purchase Iranian oil after Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, a move that the White House clarified did not indicate a relaxation of US sanctions.

In Bangladesh, we cannot think of a holistic economy without attending to the CMSME sector. From rural artisans to urban tech start-ups, CMSMEs are everywhere, creating jobs, generating income, and driving inclusive growth. Over the past decade, it is evident that the Bangladesh Bank, along with private commercial banks, has made significant strides in improving access to finance. This effort continues to evolve.

Bangladesh’s macroeconomic landscape is showing early signs of stability after months of volatility, as inflation appears to have peaked, foreign exchange reserves are steadying, the taka has firmed up, and export performance is improving, according to Standard Chartered Bangladesh.