Bangladesh is seeking an extension of the preparatory period for its graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category to complete key reforms and ensure a smooth transition, rather than delay the graduation itself, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said yesterday.

Rapid spoilage from heat and rain, and a chronic shortage of storage facilities have combined to push farmers in major producing regions of Pabna and Faridpur deep into losses this season, following record yields.

Exports stood at around $48 billion, down by 0.58 percent from the previous year, despite a sharp June increase. This means the rebound came too late to change the annual picture. It may signal some recovery in orders, delayed shipment adjustments, or short-term buyer confidence. But it does not prove that the export sector has regained strength.

The unchanged rates will be effective from July 1, for existing savings certificates

Bangladesh will import wheat from the United States at an additional $24 per tonne under a government-to-government (G2G) deal, aiming to comply with US conditions on reducing the bilateral trade deficit to secure tariff benefits.

The Bangladesh Bank’s (BB) own inflation model is running well ahead of its own expectations, projecting price growth near 9 percent through mid-2027, even as its official ceiling sits at 7.5 percent for the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27, according to BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage.

Remittance inflows reached a record high of $35.5 billion in fiscal year 2025-26 as Bangladeshis working abroad sent more money home, according to provisional central bank data.

Bangladesh Bank’s latest Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) leaves the policy rate unchanged at 10 percent, reaffirming its “contractionary” stance to bring inflation under control. The decision comes after nearly two years of monetary tightening, during which private sector credit growth slowed to around 5 percent in May, one of the lowest rates in decades.

Commercial lenders are earning more from government securities than from financing businesses

Bangladesh Bank has launched a pilot framework to enable digital processing of trade documents under documentary collections and letters of credit (LCs), aiming to modernise cross-border trade operations.

Bangladesh is set to host its first large-scale discount shopping festival, titled “Dhaka Discount Fest 2026”, bringing together 250 local and international brands under one roof to offer consumers discounts of up to 75 percent.

Weak governance and poor institutional performance have eroded public trust in banks, pushing many depositors towards informal channels, Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members said at a recent event.

Industry experts yesterday called on the government to extend the tax exemption facility for Bangladesh’s information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITES) sector beyond June 2027.

The new tax year 2026-27 began yesterday. Yet many taxpayers wait until the November deadline approaches before preparing their income tax returns.

Chattogram port posted record performances across all key operational indicators in FY2025-26, with container and cargo handling, vessel calls, and revenue reaching historic highs amid rising trade volumes and improved efficiency, according to data released yesterday by the Chitta-gong Port Authority (CPA)

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has decided to authorise the country’s two stock exchanges to independently determine and implement market-control parameters, including circuit-breaker limits, in accordance with their respective regulations, policies and operational requirements.

Weak governance and poor institutional performance have eroded public trust in banks, pushing many depositors towards informal channels, experts said at a recent event.

The framework will allow electronic submission, transmission, and verification of trade documents across approved international trade corridors

The decision recognises that both stock exchanges have the legal authority under their respective regulations to determine and implement market control parameters, including circuit-breaker limits

Overall remittance inflows grew 17.30 percent year-on-year in FY26