Faruk Hasan lies bedridden in his home, recovering from bypass surgery. The 64-year-old heart patient needs regular medication to stay alive, but he cannot access the money to pay for it. His life savings -- Tk 80 lakh in fixed deposits -- remain frozen at Aviva Finance, a financial institution now on the verge of liquidation.

The stock market finally found its smile. Shares soared on the first trading day after the February 12 national election, lifting the main index to its strongest single-day gain in the past 18 months.

Vietnam has granted a licence to Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate its satellite internet services in the communist country, a government agency said.

The benchmark DSEX Index rose 131.61 points

Agricultural credit disbursement increased strongly in the early months of fiscal year (FY) 2025-26, but a sharp rise in overdue loans raised concerns over credit recovery.

Gold prices rose more than 2 percent on Friday and were headed for a weekly gain as weaker-than-expected US inflation data reignited hopes for Federal Reserve rate cuts this year, offsetting concerns from stronger-than-expected jobs data earlier in the week.

LafargeHolcim Bangladesh PLC (LHB) has launched a new salinity- and sulphate-resistant cement, branded “Holcim Coastal Guard”, aiming to capture the 30-lakh-tonne market in the country’s south-western and south-eastern coastal regions.

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

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.