China became Bangladesh’s second-largest source of net FDI in 2025, accounting for more than 18 percent of total inflows

Despite its large market and young workforce, Bangladesh trails regional peers in attracting foreign direct investment due to policy uncertainty, weak logistics and unreliable energy, according to Rupali Chowdhury, president of the Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The Bangladesh Cold Storage Association yesterday defended the government-approved potato storage charge, saying its members have not collected more than the fixed rate despite rising operating costs, and urged the government to revise the tariff to ensure the sector’s sustainability.

The US dollar continues to gain against the taka amid increased demand for foreign currency to clear import bills

ACI Renewable Energy, a business division of ACI Motors Limited, and GoodWe Technologies Co., Ltd., have jointly launched the GoodWe EO G2 Series Off-Grid Inverter and Lynx A G4 Series Battery at a programme at Le Méridien Dhaka on July 29

The coming decade will reward individuals who invest in specialised skills, lifelong learning, and innovation

Bangladesh Bank released quarterly review report on sustainable finance

The following is a recap of those major stories as covered by Star Business

Abu Sayed Md Kamruzzaman has joined the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) as its chief executive officer following his promotion to the rank of secretary.

Brent crude prices climbed more than $1 a barrel on Thursday in a volatile session as investors swing between focusing on escalating US attacks on Iran and hopes for a resolution that may resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In Bangladesh, praise is treated like public money: everyone agrees it should circulate, but nobody wants to release it. Tell a colleague he did well, and someone will demand an audit. Compliment a bridge and another citizen will ask which political party issued your membership card. We are generous with criticism, stingy with gratitude and quick to suspicion.

South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics posted on Thursday a massive 19-fold jump in second-quarter operating profit from last year, buoyed by frenzied demand for memory chips used in AI data centres.

The minimum Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) -- the fee merchants pay on each Bangla QR transaction -- is discouraging adoption of the interoperable payment platform, industry insiders say, even after Bangladesh Bank made it mandatory from July 1.

Bangladesh should continue preparing for graduation from the group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), even if the transition is deferred by a few years, as postponement should not distract from the reforms needed to ensure a smooth and sustainable graduation, an economist said on Wednesday.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Qingfeng Zhang as its new country director for Bangladesh.

Businesses in some sectors need nearly two years and over 30 licences to start operations, a study by Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) has found, exposing regulatory bottlenecks that continue to discourage formalisation.

Bangladesh and South Korea are set to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Dhaka on Tuesday, as the country steps up efforts to secure duty-free market access ahead of its graduation from the least developed country club.

The country’s annual development spending fell to its lowest level in more than five decades in the just-concluded fiscal year, delaying infrastructure and social projects, slowing job creation and reducing the economic boost usually generated by public investment.

Competition for each job vacancy in Bangladesh’s formal market has surged nearly 66 percent since the Covid-19 pandemic, a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) has found.

Islami Bank Bangladesh, the leading Shariah-based lender, plunged into a loss of Tk 1,028 crore in the April-June quarter of 2026, weighed down by a slump in investment income and a rise in non-performing investments.