Rejaul Karim Byron

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has proposed a 20-year development plan involving about $79 billion to build a major economic corridor from Teknaf to Tentulia with the view to decongesting Dhaka and Chattogram, in line with the BNP’s election manifesto.

The finance ministry has found a host of anomalies in the pilot of the Family Card programme, as the government seeks to iron out irregularities and ensure the BNP’s flagship social welfare initiative can withstand the scrutiny of development partners.

Three years after launch and with 99 percent of its budget unspent, a nearly Tk 1,700 crore customs modernisation project is set to be presented to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today with a proposal to extend its deadline and raise costs by nearly 40 percent.

The government plans to set up at least one Urban Primary Health and Nutrition Centre in every ward of Dhaka North, Dhaka South, and Chattogram city corporations for residents deprived of care due to fragmented delivery of services.

Bangladesh is eyeing $2 billion in emergency aid from the IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) window to cushion the economic shock stemming from the Middle East war.

Bangladesh and the International Monetary Fund are locked in new disagreements over the country’s economic programme, with tensions centring on social spending, revenue mobilisation, exchange rate policy, and the pace of financial sector reforms.

Officials in the 11-member delegation said Bangladesh pressed for additional funds to cover the shortfall caused by the energy crisis, beyond regular budget support

A high-level advisory committee, formed by the Planning Commission to develop a sustainable development strategy, plans to recommend the government introduce a bicameral parliament, reinstate the caretaker government system, and ensure media freedom.

Bangladesh will need an additional $2.61 billion in foreign exchange to pay the surging energy and fertiliser import bills for March-June period.

While the World Bank and Asian Development Bank had lowered Bangladesh’s GDP growth forecast due to the Persian Gulf crisis and domestic vulnerabilities, the International Monetary Fund has kept its earlier projection unchanged.

WB, ADB cut GDP growth forecast amid Persian Gulf crisis

Finance minister optimistic about receiving assistance by June after Washington meetings

The government is preparing a Tk 927,000 crore budget for fiscal 2026-27, up about 18 percent from this year, as it looks to implement its electoral pledges, partially roll out the Pay Commission recommendations, and shield the economy from the fallout of the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The World Bank (WB) has described regulatory burdens in Bangladesh as a tax on time and investment, saying they are holding back investment compared with peer economies.

Bangladesh has so far avoided a public debt default, but clear warning signs demand immediate and strategic action to safeguard the country’s fiscal sustainability, according to the latest outlook by the Asian Development Bank.

The budget for 2026-27 fiscal year is likely to exceed the Tk 9,00,000 crore mark, as the government moves to fulfil its electoral pledges, partially implement recommendations to raise salaries of its employees, and shield the economy from the fallout of the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The US-Israel war on Iran is casting a long shadow over Bangladesh’s economy, threatening to slow growth, stoke inflation, deepen poverty, cut jobs, and raise debt burdens, according to the World Bank’s latest Bangladesh Development Update.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought the backing of UN Secretary-General António Guterres for a deferral of Bangladesh’s graduation from the least-developed country (LDC) category, as the issue moves through the multilateral system.

The new Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, yesterday scrapped one development project and sent back another, which is located in the PM’s home district of Bogura, for cost review.

The country’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025-26 as a sharp fall in industrial activity dragged down overall output, according to provisional data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).