Business Plus / EU’s GSP+: The lifeline Bangladesh must win before 2029
In four years, that duty-free facility will cease to exist
5 December 2025, 18:00 PM
RMG exporters eye strong rebound next year
Christmas shipment, however, faces a slowdown
30 November 2025, 18:00 PM
Govt sees early signs of economic recovery
Report to UN claims stabilisation and improving indicators, but economists highlight inflation, unemployment, weak investment and mounting debt concerns
24 November 2025, 19:37 PM
Bangladesh on track for LDC graduation
Bangladesh is projected to lose around $8 billion in exports after graduation
23 November 2025, 18:41 PM
EPA with Japan expected next month
Bangladesh expects to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan by the end of next month, as negotiations between the two countries have already been completed, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman told The Daily Star yesterday.
22 November 2025, 19:04 PM
Amended labour law: Unions applaud, factory owners push back
The union leaders welcomed the amended labour law, but factory owners rejected some of the clauses as their demands went unaddressed.
18 November 2025, 18:18 PM
Leadership vacuum at FBCCI weakens its policy role
The country’s apex trade body, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), is struggling to assist the government in policy-making and serve the business community due to a leadership crisis caused by the absence of elections, according to business leaders.
18 November 2025, 18:00 PM
Garment exports to US rise 5% in July-October
Garment exports to the USA, the country’s largest single export destination, increased by 5.14 percent to $2.59 billion during July-October, despite facing a 20 percent reciprocal tariff imposed by the US under President Donald Trump’s administration..The USA accounted for 19.92 percent of
16 November 2025, 16:10 PM
A visionary who blazed trails for many
MA Hashem, a business tycoon, started as a humble tobacco trader in the early 1960s before becoming one of the leading entrepreneurs and industrialists in Bangladesh.
24 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Changing demands prove a boon for Lotto
The ongoing pandemic has been a blessing for Lotto Sport Italia as it enjoyed increased sales in Bangladesh for the past several months following a boom in the demand for low-cost, non-leather footwear products.
20 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Covid restrictions in Europe add to woes of garment suppliers
Lockdowns and tightening of coronavirus restrictions ahead of Christmas in several European countries to tackle the second wave of infections have started adding to the woes of garment exporters in Bangladesh.
16 December 2020, 18:00 PM
From RMG worker to valedictorian
Five years ago, Sadeka Begum had reached a crossroads. Looking to avoid early marriage, she left her remote village and came to Dhaka, and took up work at at an RMG factory as a floor worker.
16 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Women garment workers on the decline
Rapid automation, wage hikes and complex production process in the garment sector and marriages have narrowed the female workers’ participation in the apparel industry in Bangladesh, according to a survey.
14 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Garment exporters face storm as new orders drop
Apparel makers are once again facing trying times.
13 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Negotiations for FTA with Asean underway
Bangladesh has formally initiated negotiations with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) to sign a free trade agreement to enjoy greater market access in the bloc after graduating from the least developed country grouping.
13 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Garment sector to lose $4b in EU if duty-free benefit ends
Bangladesh’s garment exporters will lose $4 billion if the duty-free trade benefit for the country comes to an end in the European Union following its graduation to a developing nation, according to a new study.
6 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh signs trade deal with Bhutan today
Bangladesh will ink its maiden preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan as the country looks to retain duty benefits following its graduation to a developing country from the least developed nation category.
5 December 2020, 18:00 PM
High-end products still a long way off
Bangladesh’s apparel industry is struggling to graduate to a producer of high-end items despite being in the business for four decades and one of the top suppliers globally, missing out on the opportunity to receive premium prices from international retailers and brands.
5 December 2020, 18:00 PM
November export receipts highest in four months
Merchandise exports bounced back in November, rising 0.76 per cent year-on-year to $3.07 billion helped by garment, home textile and jute goods shipment, official data showed yesterday.
3 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh’s real wage suffers steepest plunge in Asia: ILO
Workers in Bangladesh witnessed the sharpest fall in their real wages among their peers in Asia and the Pacific in the last decade despite higher productivity gains, according to a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
2 December 2020, 18:00 PM
I see no change in US-Bangla ties
US engagement with Bangladesh on trade, economic and defence fronts has increased in recent months. In September, the countries signed an open sky deal and held comprehensive economic partnership dialogues.
1 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Workers continue demos for dues
Nearly 400 workers of an Italian-owned factory shuttered by the pandemic yesterday attempted to lay siege to the labour and employment ministry at the Secretariat demanding dues.
1 December 2020, 18:00 PM
‘Our engagement will grow across the board’
The US is optimistic about deepening ties with Bangladesh as the country’s exports to American markets have maintained a robust growth while investors are looking to widen their footprint in the South Asian nation, US Ambassador Earl R Miller said.
1 December 2020, 18:00 PM
Trade fair hangs in balance for pandemic
Traffic movement through the capital’s Agargaon area will be a lot smoother than usual from next January as the government has decided to relocate the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) from Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to Purbachal.
28 November 2020, 18:00 PM
Govt likely to ease rules on duty-free fabric use to export high-end apparels
The government may ease the rules on the use of fabric imported duty-free to help local manufacturers shift to high-end apparels and boost export earnings as firms generate more waste while producing fancy items for international markets.
28 November 2020, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh pays industrial victims way less than ILO standard
The amount of compensation legally payable to victims of industrial incidents in Bangladesh is far below than the provisions of the ILO Convention 121, said Tuomo Poutiainen, country director of the International Labour Organisation.
24 November 2020, 18:00 PM
Task now to take forward safety progresses
Bangladesh should continue to take forward the progress achieved in ensuring workplace safety following the two deadliest back-to-back industrial incidents to prevent a recurrence and save the lives of workers.
23 November 2020, 18:00 PM
Denim Expert: a champion in sustainability
Despite facing numerous work order cancellations and subsequent suspension of most exports due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Denim Expert Ltd did not lay off any of its workers.
22 November 2020, 18:00 PM