The Netherlands emerged as the leading source of net foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh in 2025, contributing $544.61 million, or 30.76 percent of total inflows, according to a Bangladesh Bank report.

Alignment is often achieved the way we achieve traffic discipline: everyone honks, nobody moves, and yet each driver is fully confident that the jam is caused by someone else.

The government has proposed a landmark overhaul of the customs bond regime in the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, extending duty-free import facilities to emerging export sectors and easing compliance requirements for garment factories -- steps exporters say will significantly boost trade competitiveness.

Swedish retail giant H&M has said Bangladesh remains “a very important sourcing market”, amid media reports suggesting it may reduce purchases from the country.

The Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has welcomed the proposed na-tional budget for offering greater policy predictability and positive signals for investment, while raising concerns over the government’s ambitious revenue target.

Indian authorities are expected to recommend the continuation of anti-dumping duties on Bangladesh’s jute products despite a decline in overall shipments in recent years, raising concerns among local millers.

Bangladesh has formally requested a deferral of its LDC graduation by at least three years to allow time to implement key domestic reforms

The actual fiscal deficit in the proposed national budget for fiscal year 2026-27 could be close to Tk 4 lakh crore, according to Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID).

The  budget’s  focus on investment, industrialisation, SME development, digital economy expansion, renewable energy, and a higher tax-free income threshold sends a positive signal for business and employment, said Lutfunnisa Saudia Khan, president of the International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB).

Indian authorities are expected to recommend the continuation of anti-dumping duties on Bangladesh’s jute products despite a decline in overall shipments in recent years, raising concerns among local millers.

Banks have been given the go-ahead to facilitate outward remittances for lease rentals of ships and vessels by shipping companies incorporated in Bangladesh, in a move aimed at strengthening the country's maritime sector

Special T-Class tickets lower travel costs to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Malaysia

Feasibility studies are underway to convert existing STOL facilities into operational airports

The budget projects GDP (gross domestic product) growth of 6.5 percent and inflation of 7.5 percent for 2026-27 fiscal year. Both targets warrant serious scrutiny.

Bangladesh’s digital transactions grew 13 percent year-on-year in both volume and value in 2025, with the identical growth rate across both metrics pointing to a balanced and sustainable expansion of the country’s payment ecosystem.

Britain’s annual inflation rate was unchanged at 2.8 percent in May as higher petrol prices caused by the US-Iran war were offset by lower food costs, official data showed Wednesday.

Sonali Bank PLC recently opened its new Dasar branch in Madaripur.

The personal income tax structure proposed under the Finance Bill 2026 has been presented as a progressive reform, offering relief to lower-income earners while helping the government mobilise much-needed revenue.

The government’s proposed tax incentives and duty cuts for electric vehicles (EVs) in the fiscal year 2026-27 budget are expected to give a significant boost to Bangladesh’s nascent EV market, industry insiders said.

The central bank said media outlets had made their “own calculations” in arriving at those higher figures