Deposit and investment growth in the country’s Islamic banks fell to a four-year low in the first quarter of 2025, apparently driven by rising public concerns over the financial stability and governance practices of the commercial lenders.
Rice prices have increased by Tk 3 to Tk 5 per kilogramme across all categories over the past month, despite the recent Boro harvest and continuing imports of the staple grain.
Bangladesh is already facing the brunt of climate change in its major rice-growing regions, according to Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Director General Mohammad Khalequzzaman, as the institute has identified several climate-induced stresses that threaten production and eventually cause food security concerns.
The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (Idra) has finalised a draft of the Insurance Resolution Ordinance 2025, which would grant the regulator sweeping powers to declare financially troubled insurers bankrupt.
The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 has drawn criticism from the government-appointed Labour Reform Commission, which had earlier called for formal recognition of workers and stronger financial and legal safeguards.
Poor preservation, unfair pricing and failure to meet global standards cripple rawhide trade
Bangladesh’s food processing sector, which was worth $8 billion last year, is growing at an average rate of 8 percent a year, according to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Mango prices are rising following a recent slump that had resulted in losses for many traders.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) plans to install nearly 20,000 electronic fiscal devices (EFDs) in jewellery shops across the country to boost revenue collection from the sector.
The interim government is set to import seven lakh tonnes of rice, the highest in the last seven fiscal years, as it looks to shore up its depleting food grain stock and ease the cost of living crisis for the low- and fixed-income people battered by the prolonged high inflation.
Recent supplementary duty (SD) hikes on the import of fruits have dealt a fresh blow to people who were already cutting back on these delicacies since the imposition of regulatory duties in mid-2022..On January 9, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) increased the supplementary duty on the
Imports of most essential commodities related to Ramadan increased in the first six months of the current fiscal year 2024-25, with the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) stating that the prices of these items, whose demand rises during the fasting month, would remain stable.
Economists and businesses criticised the timing of the NBR’s decision, as people have been struggling with above-9-percent inflation for nearly two years.
The National Board of Revenue went ahead with its plan to hike value-added tax and supplementary duty on goods and services despite widespread concerns that the move will stoke inflation and slow down economic activities.
The interim government has expanded the Open Market Sales (OMS) programme across the country to help families cope with inflation, as retail prices of kitchen essentials continue to soar in the local market.
Local agro-processing giant Pran plans to invest an additional Tk 600 crore in its poultry business within the next two years, responding to the country’s growing demand for eggs and chicken.
NBR issues a notification moments ago
Edible oil prices have been rising over the past week in the local market, as grocers say they are not getting enough supplies from the cooking oil companies.
