The interim government has signed two loan agreements with Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) for Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans worth 85,819 million yen (approximately Tk 6,700 crore) for two projects.

Tension surrounds the upcoming biennial election of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA), scheduled to be held next month, as a group of outsider pro-BNP business leaders are allegedly pressuring for the selection of an unelected committee comprising their chosen members.

Various economic indicators of the country are improving as the banking sector has already seen the return of discipline, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said yesterday.

China and India are likely to try to interfere in the Canadian general election on April 28, while Russia and Pakistan have the potential to do so, the country’s spy service said on Monday.

Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday amid persistent uncertainty over impending reciprocal US tariffs and their impact on the global economy.

The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (Idra) has asked six troubled life insurance companies to submit their plans for addressing prolonged failures in settling claims as policyholders continue to suffer due to corruption and irregularities.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) recently approved a Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) licence for Bangla Phone Ltd, the first such licence to be issued in the country in 11 years.

In order to increase vibrancy and attract more investors to the stock market, a taskforce on capital market reforms has recommended the regulator lift a prerequisite stipulating that anyone intending to subscribe to an initial public offering (IPO) must have at least Tk 50,000 invested in the secondary market.

Availing loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) helps to get support from other development partners, which is needed to meet resource gaps in the budget, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said yesterday.

Bangladesh’s education system is failing to produce skilled human resources for industries, leading to rising unemployment among educated youth while industries struggle to find qualified workers, according to economist Selim Jahan.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) from China in Bangladesh has risen to $2.67 billion as of September 2024, according to official data, cementing China’s position as the country’s second-largest investor.

Gold prices in Bangladesh have been steadily climbing for over a year, driven by global market trends and fluctuations in domestic supply.

Workers from two companies in the Chattogram Export Processing Zone staged separate protests today demanding salaries and Eid bonuses

“In some cases, anticompetitive clauses can be found inserted within existing laws. So that this syndicate becomes almost legal, lawful and institutional,” said the envoy, Lutfey Siddiqi.

The ban will be lifted if they clear the payments by March 27; otherwise, it will remain in effect

Bangladesh has continued to witness a decline in the inflow of foreign loans as it has yet to accelerate the implementation of development projects.

The government may stop yarn imports through land ports in consideration of the greater interests of the local textile and spinning sector, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said yesterday.

Bangladesh is witnessing a concerning rise in poverty, leading to worsening food insecurity, according to a recent study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).

Analysts are turning more cautious on US corporate earnings for the first quarter of this year, with the Trump administration’s policies threatening to trigger a global trade war that could undermine economic growth.

The golden rule of crony capitalism, in which profits are private but losses are social, has led to blatant injustice, as is generally recognised. The extra-market connections of crony capitalists facilitated transactional benefits while leading to entrenched market power, distorted competition, and depressed productivity growth, all contributing to growing inequalities. Yet, attempts to change the crony business model are facing their own dilemmas.