Over the past three and a half decades, Bangladesh has seen the entry of several dozen private airlines and helicopter operators, driven by the ambition to capture a share of the country’s growing passenger and cargo market.

The new government takes office at a time when Bangladesh’s banking sector is adrift after years of widespread plunder.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has raised its forecast for Bangladesh’s wheat imports by 7.4 percent to 72 lakh tonnes for the 2025-26 trade year ending in June, citing higher demand for food, seed and industrial use.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the country’s internet regulator, is taking a cautious approach to Starlink Services Bangladesh Ltd’s proposal to export unfiltered internet bandwidth to neighbouring countries via local cable providers, and will seek the government’s opinion before approval.

Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the European Union (EU), the largest export destination in terms of trade bloc, grew 5.97 percent year-on-year to €19.41 billion in 2025.

Economists urge the next government

Although the BNP swept to a landslide victory in the February 12 national election, business leaders say the new government will inherit an economy that allows little time for celebration.

A trade agreement signed between Bangladesh and the United States on February 9, just days before a national election, has drawn sharp criticism from economists and policy observers.

Bangladesh’s recently signed trade deal with the United States promises slight tariff relief but carries deeper implications for fiscal stability, foreign policy and democratic transparency, according to Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

Customs officials say they had no objection, as the matter does not fall under their jurisdiction

It is expected to provide safely managed sanitation services to 550,000 people and improve solid waste management to 500,000 people

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has fixed new office and transaction hours for banks across the country during the holy month of Ramadan in 2026, according to a circular issued yesterday.

PRAN-RFL Group, a leading conglomerate in Bangladesh, is set to invest Tk 500 crore over the next three years to manufacture and market motorcycles and electric scooters.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said that there are several complex issues involved in approving the proposal aimed at strengthening Bangladesh Bank’s (BB) autonomy, and that they will be handled by the elected government.

Elections rarely spark dramatic rallies in Bangladesh’s stock market. The trend has been consistent at least in the last six parliamentary elections. Yet, stakeholders hope this time will be different.

The gap between what Bangladesh buys and sells abroad, known as trade deficit, grew over 18 percent in the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year 2025-26, driven by rising imports and declining export earnings.

Bangladesh will buy $3.5 billion worth of US agricultural products and $15 billion of energy under a broader reciprocal trade agreement with Washington, signed on Monday.

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran on Monday argued the Trump administration’s policy of trade tariffs has proved more benign than many had feared, in comments that argued that foreigners and their firms are the ones primarily paying for the tax hikes, rather than Americans.

India is in talks with Brazil, Canada, France and the Netherlands over deals to jointly explore, extract, process and recycle critical minerals, sources said, as it broadens its global outreach to secure supplies of key raw materials.

The government’s food grain stock has climbed to its highest level in six years, Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder said yesterday.