Ahsan Habib

The newly appointed board of National Bank PLC (NBL) will scrutinise all waived and written-off loans and interests, regardless of whether they were justified or not.

Share prices of most companies with directors connected to the immediate past Awami League government saw a big drop in the past month after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, though the market was in a rising trend during the period.

Stock investors and analysts are hoping for the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), led by its new Chairman Khondoker Rashed Maqsood, to focus on its prime tasks of proper monitoring and ensuring good governance in the share market.

Bangladesh Bank permitted Mohammed Saiful Alam and his family to seize multiple banks and funnel enormous sums as loans

Even though Bangladesh is an agricultural country, its agricultural product exports grew at a slower pace compared to other goods over the past decade due to a lack of policy support, high costs and the absence of good agricultural practices.

Less than a year after Prof Shibli Rubayat-Ul Islam was appointed as chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in May 2020, the regulator started holding roadshows abroad to lure in foreign investors and boost the local market.

The Bangladesh Bank restricted six banks linked to S Alam Group from lending activities to prevent their situation from deteriorating further amid allegations of wrongdoing.

Directors of eight private banks borrowed heavily from each other’s banks in reciprocal lending practices fraught with serious risks. Some banks went one step further and lent thousands of crores to relatives of these banks’ chairmen or directors. 

Just a day after a mass uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, a group of people, introducing themselves as activists of a major political party, visited an outlet of a leading footwear maker in Rangpur and demanded Tk 5 lakh in return for allowing the showroom to operate.

Unrest has gripped the banking sector at a time when several banks are burdened with huge default loans and are suffering from low asset quality.

Share prices rallied for a third consecutive session yesterday, with the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) registering a 5.44 percent spike, the highest jump in four and a half years.

Share prices rallied for a third consecutive session yesterday, with the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) registering a 5.44 percent spike, the highest jump in four and a half years.

Bangladesh has no time to spare when it comes to ensuring the stability of the economy, which has fallen into a crisis mainly due to the absence of democracy for over a decade.

The recent internet blackout for a week has left a big dent on the image of the country among the international community, especially investors and buyers.

Banks listed in the stock market logged Tk 2,700 crore higher interest income in the first half of this calendar year as lending rates rose after Bangladesh Bank eased its grip on the sector.

Most listed multinational companies in Bangladesh witnessed lower profits in the April-June quarter this year as sales dropped due to the erosion of people’s purchasing power amid runaway inflation.

Violence comes with a hefty price tag for the economy. Beyond the immediate death toll mostly in police shootings, the convulsion of violence that gripped Bangladesh in the middle of this month has left a debilitating impact on the economy.

Business and industrial activities resumed yesterday amid a semblance of normalcy after a spasm of violence, internet outage and a curfew that left deep wounds in almost all corners of the economy.

A huge number of industrial establishments have been built along the highway, hoping to capitalise on the connectivity to the country’s largest seaport in Chattogram

The countrywide shutdown and subsequent violence centring the quota reform movement crippled business and economic activities for the last three days, dealing a further blow to an economy that is already ailing due to high inflation, falling exports and depleting forex reserves.