The approval is expected to position Bangladesh as a potential regional connectivity hub

Expert blames IPO drought, weak returns

As many as 44 closed, loss-making or partly operational state-owned enterprises are ready to welcome private investors as the government seeks to revive idle industrial assets and attract fresh investment.

Seven Opec+ members decided on Sunday to again raise oil production quotas as Gulf countries reel from the Middle East war.

Construction of the country’s ninth Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Patuakhali is progressing, with 306 industrial plots now ready for allocation as the project begins attracting interest from foreign investors.

The company recorded Tk 4,142 crore in net revenue during the July-March period of the 2025-26 financial year, up from Tk 3,662 crore a year earlier

Cash incentives will be available for 43 specified export items, with rates ranging from 0.30% to 10%

Bangladesh has approved a landmark proposal allowing Starlink to export International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC) links to carry unfiltered internet traffic from the country to neighbouring nations, marking the first time the government has formally permitted such an arrangement for a satellite internet provider

Businesses have welcomed the relief, and officials at the NBR say it will make compliance easier

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has completed just 28.56 percent of its share of a nationwide project to modernise flood control, drainage and irrigation infrastructure and help farmers cope with climate shocks, forcing a two-year extension from the initial deadline of June 30, 2026.

Farmers bagged a record 1.73 crore tonnes of rice during the last Aman season as they expanded the cultivation of high-yielding and hybrid seed varieties.

Dhaka Bank has set out a broad strategy to join the top tier of Bangladesh’s private banks by strengthening digital banking, expanding green finance, improving profitability, and adopting artificial intelligence.

BRAC Bank PLC, founded in 2001 under the leadership of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed to serve the “missing middle” -- small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that had outgrown microfinance but lacked access to formal banking -- has grown into one of Bangladesh’s leading financial institutions.

Mobile phone ownership, however, recorded a marginal dip

Mohammad Mohsin has been elected as the president of the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA).

Trade in goods between the European Union and the US reached a record €875 billion ($1.00 trillion) last year despite tariffs, but the figures mask significant economic damage, notably to Germany’s auto sector, a study published on Friday found.

Farmers harvested a record 1.73 crore tonnes of rice during the last Aman season as they expanded the cultivation of high-yielding and hybrid seed varieties

However, mobile phone ownership recorded a marginal dip

Washington is seeking to move away from unilateral trade preferences and ineffective aid toward a fairer and more reciprocal economic relationship with Dhaka centred on trade, investment and long-term cooperation

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