Refayet Ullah Mirdha

A 45-member business delegation from the United States, representing 25 companies under the US-Bangladesh Business Council (USBBC), arrived in Dhaka on August 11 to explore investment opportunities.

Agrees to solve $40m payment dispute

Bangladesh is preparing to launch formal negotiations for a free trade agreement with the European Union while pressing ahead with its bid to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as the country steps up its efforts.

After about half a month, the FSRU at Cox’s Bazar was partly repaired on Thursday

The slowdown comes as garment exports to both Europe and the United States continue to decline

With Wednesday's public holiday marking the second anniversary of the July Uprising, and Friday and Saturday being weekly holidays, factory managements opted to shut for three consecutive days rather than reopen today before the weekend

Three textile and apparel trade bodies have recommended 370 closed and struggling factories to the Bangladesh Bank for loans under the government’s Tk 60,000 crore stimulus package.

97 percent of Bangladeshi goods to get preferential access

Factories run below capacity while new plants await gas, casting doubt over investment, employment

Bangladesh and South Korea are set to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Dhaka on Tuesday, as the country steps up efforts to secure duty-free market access ahead of its graduation from the least developed country club.

The government yesterday set a merchandise export target of $55.2 billion and a services export target of $8.2 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. Economists and business leaders said achieving the targets would be difficult amid an uncertain global environment and persistent domestic constraints.

The country’s sluggish garment exports are unlikely to recover in the coming months as the war in the Gulf drives up energy costs, feeds inflation in key Western markets and leaves retailers with more unsold stock, according to exporters and major international buyers.

The US has imposed a 10 percent tariff on imports from Bangladesh along with 17 other countries, as the countries have not done enough to prevent the import of raw materials produced using forced labour.

Foreign ministry says Dhaka has been placed in the lower tariff tier

Bangladesh’s apparel exporters are facing fresh uncertainty over the textile clause in the Bangladesh-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), after leading US textile trade bodies argued that the mechanism is unlikely to achieve American industrial goals and called for an alternative framework.

Bangladesh is pursuing a dual-track strategy to retain duty-free access to the European Union after graduating from the least developed country (LDC) category, negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc while also seeking to qualify for its GSP Plus trade preference scheme.

When China widened duty-free access to 97 percent of Bangladeshi products in 2020 and later extended the concession to almost all goods in 2024, it appeared to offer Bangladesh a rare opening.

Swedish retail giant H&M has said Bangladesh remains “a very important sourcing market”, amid media reports suggesting it may reduce purchases from the country.

Jerseys manufactured in Bangladesh were worn by the Cape Verde national team during their World Cup debut match against Spain

Although a Bangladeshi team is not taking part in the FIFA World Cup 2026, products “made in Bangladesh” have still made their way to football’s biggest stage.