Business

Bangladesh is poised to take centre stage as the prestigious “Theme Country” at the 10th China-South Asia Expo and the 30th China Kunming Import and Export Fair-2026, set to begin on Wednesday at the Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Kunming. The six-day mega event is regarded as one of the most important trade gateways to Southwest China and ...

As governments around the world unveil their annual budgets and businesses prepare financial plans for the year ahead, budgeting remains one of the most important tools for managing resources and setting priorities. Yet the modern budget has undergone a remarkable transformation since its origins more than two centuries ago. A budget is generally defined as a financial plan that estimates ...

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Monday told the Jatiya Sangsad that the country’s trade deficit increased by nearly $8 billion over the last five fiscal years, reaching $24.16 billion in the FY 2024-2025 from US$ 16.24 billion in FY 2020-2021 due to wrong policies of the previous governments. “The country’s trade deficit has widened due to wrong policies pursued ...

The government has appointed Quazi Shairul Hassan as chairman and Abedur Rahman Sikder as managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the newly formed Sammilito Islami Bank PLC. The appointments were made through two separate notifications issued by the Financial Institutions Division on Sunday. Shairul, currently serving as a director of Bangladesh Development Bank, has been appointed chairman ...

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s trade and economic development through continued assistance in infrastructure, productive sectors, trade policy capacity building and export diversification. In an interview with BSS, WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang said Bangladesh has been one of the most significant beneficiaries of the Aid for Trade Initiative, reflecting strong cooperation between ...

Inflation accelerated to a 16-month high in May, driven by rising prices of food and non-food items, underscoring persistent cost-of-living pressures despite efforts to stabilise the economy. According to the latest data released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Sunday, point-to-point inflation rose to 9.42% in May from 9.04% in April. The rate was also higher than the ...

Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) exports fetched US$ 35.31 billion during the July “May period of the fiscal year 2025 “26, registering a 3.41 percent decline compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year FY2024-25, according to the latest data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The sector, which serves as the backbone of the country’s export economy, faced ...

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have urged the government to introduce major tax reforms and establish a Tk25,000 crore green financing facility in the upcoming national budget to accelerate renewable energy development and strengthen Bangladesh’s energy security. Speaking at a press conference titled “Renewable Energy for Energy Security: Policy Shifts Needed in the National Budget” in Dhaka on Saturday, energy experts, ...

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt the biggest setback to the deployment of Bangladeshi workers to the Middle East labour market. Although overseas employment gradually began to recover afterward, the recent United States–Israel–Iran conflict spread its impact across the Middle East. As a result, the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers by Middle Eastern countries has once again suffered a major setback, placing the ...

CPD Distinguished Fellow Mustafizur Rahman has said that the trade agreement (tariff-related agreement) signed with the United States needs to be reviewed. He argued that imposing an additional 10 percent tariff by the United States would not solve the issue of forced labor; instead, it could worsen the situation. Last Tuesday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative proposed ...