Donald Trump’s new administration has plunged international development assistance into an existential crisis. Within hours of taking office in January, the president had issued, an executive order mandating a 90-day pause on most aid to poorer countries. Last week, the State Department confirmed it was cutting more than 90 percent of the US Agency for International Development’s programmes.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves fell from $21.39 billion to $19.7 billion yesterday after the country paid $1.75 billion in regional import bills through the Asian Clearing Union (ACU).

Garment manufacturers and exporters demanded adequate supply of gas and electricity to production units and a reduction in bank interest rates to enhance production and exports, a leader of one of the panels that contest the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) polls said yesterday.

Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical exports posted steady growth in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, buoyed by rising demand from developed markets, though a sharp decline in February raised concerns, industry experts said.

Some officials of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) returned to work yesterday after protests and a work abstention last week. Over the weekend, the commission chairman instructed officials to restore normality. 

The government will fundamentally transform the country’s telecom policy to unlock the digital economy, improve service quality and prevent internet shutdowns during critical periods, said Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the newly appointed special assistant to the chief adviser.

Bangladesh’s economy might have expanded in February, but at a slower pace due to sluggish growth in the construction and services sectors.

Credit appetite of the local private firms continues to fizzle out as the ongoing battle against inflation makes bank borrowing more expensive amid a volatile political climate after the August political changeover.  

Inflation in Bangladesh saw a marginal decline in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, averaging 11.1 percent, with food prices contributing more than half to the overall increase in prices.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” forcefully endorsing a currency once shunned as a tool for money launderers.

Container handling at six jetties under Chattogram port’s general cargo berth (GCB) remains disrupted as berth operators continue slowing down operations amid an unresolved dispute with shipping agents over onboard container handling charges.

Hami Industries PLC has signed an agreement with Lubricant Asia Limited to lease out 6,752 square feet of space from its factory in Fouzderhat Heavy Industrial Area of Chattogram for two years.

Syed Manzur Elahi, a sponsor director of Apex Footwear Ltd, has purchased 50,000 shares of the leading footwear maker, the company said yesterday.

Due to a growing trend in remittance inflows in recent months, the central bank has been able to mitigate the sharp decline in forex reserves, particularly since the end of the Awami League-led government's regime on August 5 in the face of mass uprising.

The telecom operators lost 10 lakh subscribers alone in January

February marked the fifth consecutive month of expansion

After the purchase, his stake rises to 7.34% in the company

CPA seeks shipping ministry’s intervention

Meanwhile, BSEC officials returned to work without withdrawing ‘break in service’ agenda

In the last election of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), at least 900 persons who were not members of the trade body were incorporated in the voter list, said a Forum Panel leader of the BGMEA yesterday.