Ahsan Habib

Economists have welcomed the interim government’s initiative to grant full autonomy to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) but say the reforms will remain on paper unless political parties commit to endorsing and continuing them once in power.

Toxic assets sink banks, while low bad loans and bonds buoy others

From index chasing to reform, BSEC's new mindset has mixed results

Job prospects unfulfilled as economic woes, lack of investment hinder growth

General insurance firms’ profit falls as marine, fire policies drop

Persistent inflation, rising costs squeeze profit margins of multinational companies

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has formed a $500 million fund to contain erratic movements in the foreign exchange market, as the country moves towards a more flexible exchange rate regime in line with International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions.

Digital boxes ease product delivery, pickup in Dhaka

Commodity exchange launch: CSE targets 2025, eyes cotton, gold

The stock market has bounced back strongly within two months of falling to its lowest in the past five years, thanks to some macroeconomic-level recoveries, including a drop in inflation and the strengthening of the local currency against the greenback.

Banks have several layers of professionals to regularly assess their financial health and raise early warnings at the first sign of trouble.

Renata PLC, one of the country’s leading pharmaceutical companies, discontinued nearly 30 percent of its product line in the last fiscal year after production costs outpaced selling prices, according to the company’s chief executive officer (CEO).

Nineteen banks failed to pay any dividend to shareholders for 2024. While seven posted losses, the remaining 12 reported profits but were barred from dividend payouts due to inadequate capital and deferred provisioning for bad loans.

Twenty-one banks managed to keep their bad loan ratios under 5 percent of their total lending, even amid turbulence last year that rattled the sector and eventually pushed up the industry average of bad loans to 16.8 percent.

Says its chairman in interview with The Daily Star

Ten banks lost Tk 23,700cr in deposits last year as peers saw growth of up to 32%

For three banks, 2024 brought cause for celebration as they crossed the milestone of Tk 1,000 crore in annual profits for the first time. But for nine others, it was a year of reckoning, marked by mounting losses and a desperate fight for survival.

The 50 banks collectively earned Tk 39,958 crore from treasury bonds in 2024, up from Tk 27,626 crore in the previous year, according to an analysis of their audited financial statements.

United Commercial Bank (UCB), one of the oldest private banks in Bangladesh, looks to return to sustainable profitability within around two years as it takes steps to improve governance, recover loans, and enhance asset quality.

The stock market has almost closed the books on the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 without a single company getting listed through an initial public offering (IPO), a rare event not seen in decades.