NBR to reduce VAT on restaurants

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is set to revise the value-added tax (VAT) on restaurants, reducing it from the standard rate of 15 percent.
15 January 2025, 18:00 PM

US top remittance source in Nov, Dhaka top recipient

The biggest source of all the remittance received by Bangladesh last November was the US, according to the latest report of Bangladesh Bank (BB)..Moreover, Dhaka secured the lion’s share of the foreign currencies..Bangladeshi migrants sent home $2,199.99 million in November. Of it, $
13 January 2025, 18:37 PM

Rising interest rates deter new investment, expansion plans

Rising rates are creating headwinds for at least 40 listed conglomerates
12 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Large loan restructuring: lessons learned from Hallmark

Classified loans in Bangladesh have exceeded Tk 284,000 crore. Various agencies are even talking of Tk 4 lakh to Tk 7 lakh crores of stressed assets in the banking sector, which tends to be 25-45 percent of the total loans.
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Financial inclusion evolves with focus on rural Bangladesh

Financial inclusion in Bangladesh is evolving, as evidenced by the increasing penetration of agent banking, mobile financial service (MFS), and no-frills accounts (NFAs), alongside a strong commitment to rural outreach, according to
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Consensus reached for BGMEA polls in April

The administrator and two panels of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have reached a consensus to hold the election of the garment exporters’ platform in April this year.
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Trade deficit narrows in Jul-Nov

Bangladesh’s trade deficit in the first five months of the current fiscal year was 20 percent, or $1.97 billion, lower than in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

VAT, tax hikes: Short-sighted state policies to hurt people

The recent decisions of the interim government—tax hikes and the suspension of the TCB truck sale programme—clearly reflect the short-sightedness and inconsistency in state policies.
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Local airlines worried over excise duty hike

The government’s recent decision to increase excise duty on domestic and international air tickets will have a serious negative impact on the aviation market, especially domestic passenger growth, said top officials of the country’s air operators.
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Small businesses to face tougher times as VAT threshold lowered

Economists and businesses criticised the timing of the NBR’s decision, as people have been struggling with above-9-percent inflation for nearly two years.
11 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Consensus formed to hold BGMEA election in April: administrator

Updated voter list will be published and election board will be formed within January
11 January 2025, 13:40 PM

Interest rate on savings certificates to be raised

The interim government is set to increase the interest rates against various savings certificates to upwards of 12 percent as it looks to provide some relief to the fixed income group squeezed by the elevated inflation.
8 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Eurozone economy ended 2024 in fragile state: PMI

The eurozone economy ended 2024 in a fragile state, according a survey which showed overall activity contracted for a second straight month in December as a modest recovery in the services industry failed to offset a deeper downturn in manufacturing.
6 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Feed prices stay high despite drop in global markets

The price of poultry feed remains high in Bangladesh despite its fall in global markets, said Suman Hawlader, president of the Bangladesh Poultry Association (BPA).
4 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Will VAT hike add to inflationary burden?

The government’s recent move to increase value-added tax (VAT) on 43 goods and services has raised two key questions: will it generate enough revenue to avoid a huge budget deficit and will it further stoke an already high inflation?
4 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Taka loses value vs dollar after 7 months

The local currency taka has officially depreciated against the US dollar after seven months as the central bank recently raised the reference rate for taka-dollar transactions by Tk 2.
4 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Salvaging business and employment

Despite some episodic spikes here and there, the economy of Bangladesh is still struggling, and the government isn’t sure what the top priority should be.
4 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Container handling at private ICDs rose 16% in 2024

Six out of the 21 private inland container depots (ICDs) have come up as the major handlers of export and import-laden containers in the just concluded year of 2024, when business in the ICDs rose 16 percent year-on-year.
4 January 2025, 18:00 PM

Remittance hit all-time high in 2024

Expatriate Bangladeshis sent home a record $26.9 billion, up 23 percent year-on-year, in a development that will bring a huge sigh of relief to policymakers as they endeavour to shore up strained dollar stockpile.
1 January 2025, 18:06 PM

Economy to see muted recovery in 2025

Will smaller rotis at roadside eateries return to their previous regular size next year? Will a Tk 500 note again fill up the shopping bag holding kitchen items? Or, will several lakh graduates, who have been poring over newspaper recruitment advertisements, finally get their jobs in 2025?
31 December 2024, 18:00 PM