Five takeaways from the economy last week

Bangladesh's economy last week revolved around investment in dormant state factories, a new deregulation taskforce, the country's first short-term sukuk, inland waterway fee hikes, and a proposed distressed asset law.

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

Govt seeks investment in dormant state factory sites (June 21)

The government has initiated moves to attract domestic and foreign investment utilising the land and infrastructure of closed or loss-making state-owned enterprises. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assured prominent business leaders of maximum policy support to revive these underperforming industrial units.

Taskforce formed to push deregulation (June 22)

The government has formed a taskforce to oversee its deregulation drive and will launch dashboards next month to monitor ministry-wise project progress daily. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said that structural reforms are vital to ease the cost of doing business.

Govt to issue first short-term sukuk for rural infrastructure (June 23)

The government will float its first nine-month short-term sukuk on June 28 to raise Tk 5,500 crore for rural infrastructure development. The Shariah-compliant instrument, auctioned by Bangladesh Bank, offers a 9.36 percent annual return amid strong investor demand.

Inland waterway fees hiked, raising concerns over essential costs (June 24)

The government has hiked charges and fees by up to 100 percent for passenger and cargo vessels operating in inland and coastal waters, effective July 1. Businesses warned the move will increase logistics costs for essential commodities and construction materials.

Private firms to buy bad loans, take over companies (June 26)

The government has proposed a draft law allowing private firms to buy bad loans from banks, seize mortgaged assets, and take over indebted companies. The "Distressed Asset Management Act, 2026" aims to formalise a recovery market to strengthen the financial system.