Business

Authorities have shut five of the country’s six urea fertiliser factories as a precaution amid fears of gas supply disruptions caused by the widening war in the Middle East and Iran’s closure of the Hormuz Strait, a key global energy route. From Wednesday, gas supplies to the urea plants, including one privately owned unit, were suspended as part of an ...

Global economic resilience was being tested by the war in the Middle East, the head of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva warned Thursday. “This week global resilience is tested yet again by the new conflict in the Middle East,” Georgieva said during a livestream of the “Asia in 2050” conference in Bangkok. “This conflict, if proven to be more prolonged, has ...

A total of 189 Bangladeshi nationals, stranded in Dubai of United Arab Emirates, due to suspended flights amid the ongoing Middle East tensions, have returned home on a special flight. The special flight, operated by US-Bangla Airlines, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital at about 7:07AM on Thursday (March 5). Considering the current situation in the Middle ...

Gold prices dropped sharply in the domestic market after six consecutive hikes, bringing relief to buyers. Bangladesh Jewellers Association announced on Wednesday morning that it has reduced the price of 22-carat gold by Tk9,214 per bhori, setting the new rate at Tk268,214. The association said the revised price took effect from 10am on Wednesday. In a statement, it said the ...

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced the formal closure of the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s main energy shipping routes — in protest at what it described as threats to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It also warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the strait in defiance of the restriction would ...

Shoppers faced a surprise jump in grocery inflation last month, as experts warned there was worse to come if there was prolonged war in the Middle East and the odds of a UK interest cut fell sharply. In a blow to households struggling with the cost of living, grocery price inflation rose to 4.3% in the four weeks to 22 ...

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) chairman Md Rezanur Rahman has said that currently the country has 1,36,000 metric tons of fuel oil in reserve. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the BPC Bhaban in Karwan Bazar, Rahman said the authorities are considering alternative fuel markets in light of the ongoing war situation. However, he assured that there is no possibility of ...

Bangladesh Railway has started selling advance train tickets for Eid-ul-Fit from Tuesday, aiming to ensure smooth and comfortable travel for homebound passengers. The advance tickets will be available online from March 3 to March 9, while return journey tickets will be sold from March 13 to March 18. All tickets are being sold exclusively through the online platform. Meanwhile, advance ...

Bangladesh’s merchandise exports reached $31.91 billion during July 2025 – February 2026, the first five months of the fiscal year 2026. This reflects a decline of 3.15% compared to $32.92 billion recorded in the corresponding seven-month period of the previous fiscal year, according to EPB data released on Monday. Comparing single-month data, February recorded 12% decline from the same month ...

The newly appointed governor of Bangladesh Bank, Md Mostaqur Rahman, said he would not bow to political pressure and urged bank executives to report any interference directly to him. Speaking at a meeting with The Association of Bankers Bangladesh Limited (ABB) at the central bank on Sunday, the governor said managing directors (MDs) should immediately inform him if they face ...