Sohel Parvez

Sohel Parvez is the Business Editor of The Daily Star.

Export data gap balloons to $4b despite 2024 reset

The gap in export data maintained by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has persisted even though both agencies teamed up last year and began reconciling merchandise shipment figures.

2h ago

Farmland expands in 16 districts, defying national decline

Bangladesh is losing farmland. There are multiple reasons behind the shrinkage—from the construction of homes and the establishment of factories to the development of other facilities.

1w ago

Bangladesh, Vietnam to drive global cotton trade next decade: report

Bangladesh and Vietnam will drive global cotton trade over the next decade as mills increase their use of it in making yarn for export-oriented garments, said a recent global report.

1w ago

Bangladesh’s tax-GDP ratio lowest in Asia-Pacific: OECD

Bangladesh sits at the bottom of a list of 37 countries in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio, largely stemming from the failure to tap into the potential originating from the steady growth of the economy and a lack of reform.

2w ago

BB unlikely to cut policy rate now

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) is unlikely to reduce the policy or repo rate for the second half of this year as inflation continues to remain stubbornly high, according to the central bank governor.

3w ago

New fiscal year starts on positive note but fault lines remain

Record remittances lift reserves, but economy burdened by sluggish tax, bad loans, high joblessness

4w ago

Govt borrowing from domestic sources surges

Government borrowing from domestic banks and non-bank sources rose 55 percent year-on-year during the July-April period of the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25, due mainly to weaker foreign loan disbursements and poor tax collection.

1m ago

Allocation for poverty reduction drops to 4-year low in FY26

Bangladesh’s expenditure on poverty reduction has been gradually declining, and in the upcoming fiscal year of 2025-26, it is set to hit a four-year low due to a decrease in spending that directly impacts hunger.

1m ago
July 30, 2025
July 30, 2025

Export data gap balloons to $4b despite 2024 reset

The gap in export data maintained by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has persisted even though both agencies teamed up last year and began reconciling merchandise shipment figures.

July 22, 2025
July 22, 2025

Farmland expands in 16 districts, defying national decline

Bangladesh is losing farmland. There are multiple reasons behind the shrinkage—from the construction of homes and the establishment of factories to the development of other facilities.

July 18, 2025
July 18, 2025

Bangladesh, Vietnam to drive global cotton trade next decade: report

Bangladesh and Vietnam will drive global cotton trade over the next decade as mills increase their use of it in making yarn for export-oriented garments, said a recent global report.

July 15, 2025
July 15, 2025

Bangladesh’s tax-GDP ratio lowest in Asia-Pacific: OECD

Bangladesh sits at the bottom of a list of 37 countries in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of the tax-to-GDP ratio, largely stemming from the failure to tap into the potential originating from the steady growth of the economy and a lack of reform.

July 6, 2025
July 6, 2025

BB unlikely to cut policy rate now

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) is unlikely to reduce the policy or repo rate for the second half of this year as inflation continues to remain stubbornly high, according to the central bank governor.

July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025

New fiscal year starts on positive note but fault lines remain

Record remittances lift reserves, but economy burdened by sluggish tax, bad loans, high joblessness

June 24, 2025
June 24, 2025

Govt borrowing from domestic sources surges

Government borrowing from domestic banks and non-bank sources rose 55 percent year-on-year during the July-April period of the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25, due mainly to weaker foreign loan disbursements and poor tax collection.

June 19, 2025
June 19, 2025

Allocation for poverty reduction drops to 4-year low in FY26

Bangladesh’s expenditure on poverty reduction has been gradually declining, and in the upcoming fiscal year of 2025-26, it is set to hit a four-year low due to a decrease in spending that directly impacts hunger.

June 16, 2025
June 16, 2025

Sovereign guarantee rules to be revised

The government plans to amend the existing sovereign guarantee guidelines to streamline the process and mitigate fiscal risks if public entities fail to make repayments on time, according to a finance ministry report.

May 14, 2025
May 14, 2025

Value for taxpayers’ money: Why it matters

If you visit the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), you will find it difficult to make your way through the crowded corridors between the wards. Patients lie on narrow, makeshift beds along both sides, while doctors, hospital staff, visitors, and treatment seekers shuffle through the chaos.