For millions, the cost of living has been rising for three years. A record fuel price hike made everything worse overnight...

Designates ICT as special priority sector

Govt must fix fragile economy to weather shockwaves from Middle East.

Small businesses and service providers, from retail shops to transport and personal services, are expanding more rapidly than formal manufacturing units, prompting economists to question the sustainability of the country’s long-term growth.

Amir Khosru says govt has drawn up a broad action plan centred on investment, jobs, exports and macroeconomic stability

Amid the prevailing Middle East crisis and economic lull, Bangladesh is heading into a prolonged holiday period around Eid-ul-Fitr.

A prolonged US-Israel war on Iran could reduce Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) by as much as 3 percent over the next two years, according to a new policy analysis by the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem).

There are moments in a nation’s life when victory does not feel like triumph at all. It feels like an inventory. One counts the broken things.

When it comes to economic reforms, an ordinary moment when a citizen tries to access a public service and succeeds within minutes, instead of struggling for days navigating a maze, is no less significant than a successful megaproject or a new tax regime.

Bangladesh stands at a decisive crossroads. A newly elected government has taken office. Expectations are high. Markets are watching. Investors, both domestic and foreign, are recalibrating their outlook.

When tensions escalate among global and regional powers, the shockwaves ripple through oil markets, shipping lanes, labour migration routes, and financial systems, reaching economies thousands of kilometres away.

The US-Israel war on Iran may not be on Bangladesh’s border, but it definitely is on our economic horizon.

In order to ensure increased participation of citizens in the private sector and cut dependence on bank loans, conditions may be imposed to compel firms to raise capital from public, said Prof Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, the prime minister’s adviser to the ministries of finance and planning.

The US-Iran war is poised to increase the prices of imported petroleum products, LNG and disrupt the supply chain of industrial raw materials.

Bangladesh’s economy grew 3.49 percent in the fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25), the slowest expansion in at least three years, owing to weaker performances in the agriculture and services sectors.

The overall economic risk of Bangladesh has increased by 0.4 points since August last year to 7.1, even as political clarity returns following the national election this month, according to Oxford Economics. 

The crises of persistent inflationary pressure, sluggish private investment, and unemployment needs to be dealt with simultaneously, with careful policy planning.

The following is a recap of major stories covered by Star Business

It must resist the temptation of populism

He also said priority would be given to developing institutions, which, he said, are in a "very bad shape."