Forex position to stabilise in next few months: Moody's

It will be supported by the recent improvement of the current account balance to modest surpluses partly reflecting ongoing import restrictions, narrowing financial account deficits as business uncertainties gradually ease following the conclusion of the general elections in January, it said.
26 May 2024, 00:56 AM

Social safety net allocations inflated

Data by the finance ministry showed that the allocation for the pensions and interest payments account for 30 percent of the total social security programme fund of Tk 126,090 crore for the current fiscal year of 2023-24.
26 May 2024, 00:56 AM

Shanta begins to sell space at Dhaka Tower

Dhaka Tower will boast an exhibition space extending to a height of 130 feet. On the top level will be a fine-dining restaurant, adjacent to a publicly accessible two-tier observation deck providing sweeping views of the metropolis and Hatir Jheel.
26 May 2024, 00:56 AM

Cut expenses since tax receipts won’t go up overnight

In Bangladesh, the tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio is not growing. Rather, the ratio is declining. Today, the country has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world.
26 May 2024, 00:12 AM

Budget For Fy25: 53pc rise in allocation for debt servicing

The government’s allocation to repay foreign debts may reach Tk 57,000 crore in the next budget, a 53 percent rise from the current year, putting further pressure on the country’s dwindling foreign currency reserves.
25 May 2024, 18:00 PM

How much of SME potential have we realised?

Policymakers must work together in harmony and place a special focus on SMEs, which accounted for almost 25 percent of Bangladesh's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018, according to a Planning Division report.
25 May 2024, 16:14 PM

FID acting as a “regulator for a regulator”

Orders relating to specialised banks, state-owned banks, and insurance and financial institutions all fall under the purview of the FID as well, said Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the CPD.
24 May 2024, 00:45 AM

Stocks keep bleeding

The DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), shed 58.7 points, or 1.09 percent, to close at about 5,312 points, its lowest in 39 months.
24 May 2024, 00:45 AM

Agriculture should get top priority in budget: economists

About 40 percent of the population is now dependent on agriculture for jobs and that is why the government should not divert its attention from this sector at this time of austerity, said ‍Binayak Sen, director general of BIDS.
24 May 2024, 00:45 AM

Broad reform agenda vital to restore trust in banks: CPD

The CPD said commercial banks need to be strengthened, the independence of the Bangladesh Bank should be upheld, a conducive legal environment must be created, and a banking commission needs to be set up.
24 May 2024, 00:45 AM

Forex reserves rise by $180 million in a week

Reserves hit $18.61 billion on May 21, up from $18.43 billion on May 15
23 May 2024, 12:24 PM

How taka’s drop ate away economic output per person

The fluctuation indicates that the growth of the economy, when measured in dollars, has been lower than initially projected, due to the weakening of the taka.
23 May 2024, 00:49 AM

Govt likely to announce tax rates in advance

In the coming year, the NBR may announce tax rates that will not only be applicable for the outgoing income year 2023-24 but also for the next income year 2024-25.
23 May 2024, 00:49 AM

Banks sell dollar at more than Tk 118 as pressure mounts

The chief executives of at least three private commercial banks told The Daily Star that the BB had verbally allowed them to quote Tk 1 more than the exchange rate to collect US dollars amid the ongoing forex crunch.
23 May 2024, 00:49 AM

Consumption stays low for two straight years as inflation bites

According to a provisional estimate of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), consumption of goods and services grew 3.53 percent in 2023-24, up from 2.52 percent in the last fiscal year.
23 May 2024, 00:49 AM

Fixed expenses to eat up 40pc of next budget

The government has to spend about 40 percent of the next budget on subsidies, interest payments, and salaries and allowances of government employees, which will limit its ability to spend on social safety net, health and education.
21 May 2024, 18:00 PM

GDP expands at faster pace in FY24

Bangladesh’s economy has grown at a faster pace, albeit marginally, in the current fiscal year than the previous one although the production of industrial goods and agricultural commodities recorded reduced growth.
20 May 2024, 18:00 PM

BB lost ability to make decisions for economy: Fahmida Khatun

Bangladesh Bank (BB) lost its ability, to make independent decisions for the banking sector, and it is now operating to implement decisions of outsiders, which is unable to resolve the crisis of the banking sector
18 May 2024, 18:52 PM

No let-up in reserves slide

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have been falling since September 2021 despite a series of government initiatives to reverse the trend.
16 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Yield on treasury bills climbs to a record 12% as govt borrowing intensifies

Currently, the government is borrowing heavily from commercial banks using the tool as the central bank has suspended injecting fresh money into the economy to avoid fuelling inflation, which has stayed above 9 percent for the past 20 months.
15 May 2024, 01:52 AM