Policy uncertainties driving away FDI

Policy and regulatory uncertainties are major factors discouraging foreigners from investing in Bangladesh, for which foreign direct investment (FDI) has remained low in spite of government efforts, said Syed Akhtar Mahmood, former lead private sector specialist at World Bank Group
9 February 2024, 00:16 AM

Govt hopeful about 3rd tranche of IMF loan

Bangladesh is likely to receive the third tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s $4.7 billion loan as the country has met almost all conditions, said Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali yesterday.
8 February 2024, 14:56 PM

Forex reserves rise $14m in a week

Bangladesh’s foreign currency reserves rose $14 million in a week to about $19.96 billion, central bank figures showed.
8 February 2024, 14:19 PM

Poland saves the day for Bangladesh's garment shipment to Russia

Bangladesh shipped apparel goods worth $650 million to Russia in the financial year of 2020-21 and was tipped soon to be crossing the $1-billion mark in the promising market.
8 February 2024, 01:25 AM

Govt set to give Tangail sari GI status

The industries ministry is going to award Tangail sari the geographical indication (GI) status following a public outcry in Bangladesh, a week after India granted the same recognition to ‘Tangail Saree of Bengal’.
8 February 2024, 01:10 AM

Home textile exports hit by currency volatility, gas crisis

The highly promising home textile sector of Bangladesh is losing its lustre in the export market as the lingering gas crisis, the volatile exchange rate and the higher production cost are forcing many factories to go out of business.
8 February 2024, 01:00 AM

Investors in Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar grapple with water crisis

Investors in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) are not only facing an acute gas crisis, but also contending with virtually zero water supply to industrial units despite paying water bills, forcing them to set up their own water supply systems.
8 February 2024, 00:25 AM

Unmasking the economic menace: the rising bad loans

Recently the Bangladesh Bank projected a significant drop in non-performing loans (NPLs) and is hoping that it will decrease by 2.76 percent over the next couple of years. This estimation came in Bangladesh Bank's roadmap on the strategic move to streamline NPL management.
8 February 2024, 00:15 AM

Major stock index rises for 8th session

The major stock market index in Bangladesh rose for an eighth consecutive trading day yesterday owing to increased participation of investors.
8 February 2024, 00:00 AM

Emerald Oil to invest Tk 400cr on new rice bran oil plant

Emerald Oil is planning to invest Tk 400 crore on a new plant in the Jamalpur Economic Zone to increase its production of rice bran oil for export.
7 February 2024, 01:25 AM

Floor price lifted for 3 more firms as index keeps rising

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has lifted the floor price for three more companies—Anwar Galvanizing, Orion Pharmaceuticals and Renata—amid a rising trend of the key index.
7 February 2024, 01:13 AM

App stores now a part of mobile operators’ digital services

Mobile operators in Bangladesh are now offering app stores, enabling developers to not only connect with users through secure distribution channels but also giving them the monetisation tools as they continually attempt to diversify their portfolio.
7 February 2024, 01:05 AM

ACI CO-RO opens fruit drinks plant in Araihazar

ACI CO-RO Bangladesh Ltd, a joint venture between ACI Ltd and Danish soft-drinks company CO-RO A/S, yesterday opened a new factory to make fruit drinks under the Sunquick brand.
7 February 2024, 00:56 AM

BBS misses deadline to publish quarterly GDP report

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has missed its December deadline to publish a quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) report, under a move to provide a timely status of the health of the economy.
7 February 2024, 00:56 AM

Jiban Bima stops selling pension policy after govt rolls out scheme

State-run Jiban Bima Corporation (JBC) has stopped selling its popular yet unprofitable private pension insurance policy since December 1, months after the government rolled out the Universal Pension Scheme.
7 February 2024, 00:36 AM

Subletting surges as rents go through the roof

Mohammad Abu Eusuf, a private sector employee who lives in Dhaka’s Mirpur, earns about Tk 23,000 per month. But the income is not adequate for him to manage his monthly expenses given the ongoing inflationary pressure.
7 February 2024, 00:15 AM

Agri minister seeks high-yielding Indian seeds

Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid has sought India’s cooperation in keeping high-yielding varieties of seeds out of the purview of restrictions so that those can be produced and cultivated in Bangladesh.
6 February 2024, 01:34 AM

NBR plans to extend same facilities granted to RMG

The National Board of Revenue will provide all export-oriented sectors with the same facilities afforded to garment exporters to diversify exports, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem said yesterday.
6 February 2024, 01:34 AM

Mobile internet subscriber number drops for 4th month

The mobile internet subscriber base in Bangladesh fell for four consecutive months until December last year as the regulator’s bar on purchasing short-term packages combined with inflationary pressures to impact consumers.
6 February 2024, 00:44 AM

Steel products get costlier as customs hikes assessment value

The prices of all types of steel products have gone up by Tk 5,000 to Tk 15,000 per tonne within the span of a week after the customs department increased the assessment value by a large margin, traders said.
6 February 2024, 00:34 AM