The ousted Awami League-led government effectively held the people “hostage” by taking the bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with difficult conditions in 2022, said Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, finance and planning adviser to the prime minister.

Abdur Rahman, an elderly farmer from Bhukshimail union in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar, took loans to cultivate Boro paddy this season, hoping for a good harvest and some financial relief.

Bangladesh has shouldered nearly $2 billion in extra costs as global disruption drives up energy imports, said Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

As many factories scramble for diesel to keep generators running during load-shedding, production lines at Ha-Meem Group hum on without interruption.

The Gulf energy crisis isn’t over. Ever since the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, regional tumult has throttled worldwide oil and gas supplies.

Bangladesh’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector has grown rapidly, yet lacks the storage capacity to buffer itself against global market shocks, according to the president of the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB).

Prime Bank PLC has signed a refinancing agreement with SME Foundation aimed at enhancing credit access for cottage, micro, small, and medium enterprises (CMSMEs). T

The unequal agreement signed by the interim government with the US poses a major obstacle to energy security in Bangladesh rather than the disruption in fuel imports through the Strait of Hormuz, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, a public policy analyst.

They spoke at the ninth SANEM Annual Economists’ Conference

The two signed an MoU on April 9

The following is a recap of those major stories as covered by Star Business

The lenders include ADB, European Investment Bank, and the World Bank Group, among others

From early pilot schemes in Feni and Kutubdia to Sirajganj initiatives, Bangladesh’s wind power is maturing

Unsold inventories push Western buyers towards 10% order cuts while energy shortages disrupt apparel production

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warned Wednesday of difficult times ahead for the global economy if war in the Middle East is unresolved and oil prices stay high, adding that inflation risks could seep into food prices.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has further lowered Bangladesh’s cotton import forecast for the ongoing marketing year (MY) 2025-26, citing reduced use in mills.

Oil prices were little changed on Thursday, reversing earlier declines, on scepticism that peace talks between ‌the US and Iran will reach a deal to end the war that has bottled up oil output from the key Middle East producing region.

The government is navigating a critical situation amid a series of global crises, but remains committed to turning these challenges into opportunities, said Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, adviser to the prime minister on finance and planning.

Bangladesh Bank yesterday purchased $50 million from four commercial banks at a cut-off rate of Tk 122.75 per US dollar, as strong remittance earnings boosted inflows.

A sharp digital divide continues to shape Bangladesh’s connectivity landscape, with a 32.1 percentage points gap in internet use between rural and urban populations in the fiscal year 2024-25, according to the latest Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey.