Ahsan Habib

12 banks paid no dividend despite profits last year

Nineteen banks failed to pay any dividend to shareholders for 2024. While seven posted losses, the remaining 12 reported profits but were barred from dividend payouts due to inadequate capital and deferred provisioning for bad loans.

1w ago

21 banks bucked rising bad loan trend in 2024

Twenty-one banks managed to keep their bad loan ratios under 5 percent of their total lending, even amid turbulence last year that rattled the sector and eventually pushed up the industry average of bad loans to 16.8 percent.

1w ago

Citizens Bank targets rural unbanked in growth push

Says its chairman in interview with The Daily Star

2w ago

Depositors leave troubled banks for stronger rivals

Ten banks lost Tk 23,700cr in deposits last year as peers saw growth of up to 32%

2w ago

Few banks thrived, others bled in 2024

For three banks, 2024 brought cause for celebration as they crossed the milestone of Tk 1,000 crore in annual profits for the first time. But for nine others, it was a year of reckoning, marked by mounting losses and a desperate fight for survival.

2w ago

Bond boom contributes half of bank income

The 50 banks collectively earned Tk 39,958 crore from treasury bonds in 2024, up from Tk 27,626 crore in the previous year, according to an analysis of their audited financial statements.

2w ago

UCB eyes sustainable profitability within two years

United Commercial Bank (UCB), one of the oldest private banks in Bangladesh, looks to return to sustainable profitability within around two years as it takes steps to improve governance, recover loans, and enhance asset quality.

2w ago

One lakh stock accounts closed amid IPO drought in FY25

The stock market has almost closed the books on the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 without a single company getting listed through an initial public offering (IPO), a rare event not seen in decades.

3w ago
January 13, 2025
January 13, 2025

Rising interest rates deter new investment, expansion plans

Rising rates are creating headwinds for at least 40 listed conglomerates

January 9, 2025
January 9, 2025

Listed firms’ profit drops 24% amid economic slowdown, political turmoil

Listed companies across all sectors saw their profits fall by around 24 percent on an average year-on-year during the last January-September period, due mainly to an economic slowdown and widespread political turmoil, according to an unofficial estimate.

January 8, 2025
January 8, 2025

As trade dries up, stock exchanges turn to FDRs for survival

The country’s two stock exchanges logged operating losses in the last fiscal year thanks to sluggish trading activities, according to official data, compelling the markets to resort to their fixed deposit income to avoid a net loss.

January 6, 2025
January 6, 2025

The MGI story: From Tk 600 in his pocket to a Tk 36,000cr business empire

The company is exporting to more than 52 countries and employs over 50,000 people

January 4, 2025
January 4, 2025

Resorts on Dhaka’s outskirts: An escape from the urban jungle

In one of your most distant childhood memories, you may recall hearing the high-pitched howl of a lone jackal way off in the distance while enjoying the evening from the comfort of your village home.

January 1, 2025
January 1, 2025

Economy to see muted recovery in 2025

Will smaller rotis at roadside eateries return to their previous regular size next year? Will a Tk 500 note again fill up the shopping bag holding kitchen items? Or, will several lakh graduates, who have been poring over newspaper recruitment advertisements, finally get their jobs in 2025?

December 31, 2024
December 31, 2024

Stock market lost steam in 2024

The year 2024 witnessed a lacklustre performance of the stock market as the benchmark index faced erosion, average daily turnover showcased no significant rise while no notable company entered the market.

December 30, 2024
December 30, 2024

Sergel nearing Tk 1,000cr annual sales

Sergel is heading towards generating Tk 1,000 crore in annual sales as over Tk 900 crore worth of the gastrological medicine was sold in the first nine months of this year, according to information technology company IMS Health.

December 26, 2024
December 26, 2024

Growth obsession deepened rich-poor divide

Income inequality in Bangladesh has seen a steep rise over the past 12 years till 2022, according to official data, as economists blame a singular focus on growth rather than sorting out income disparities.

December 22, 2024
December 22, 2024

Has IMF experiment delivered?

Two years after Bangladesh turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $4.7 billion bailout to address its worsening macroeconomic pressures, the nation stands at a crossroads.