Can incentives help Bangladesh attract more FDI?
4 October 2026
A new scheme offers resident and non-resident Bangladeshis a 1.25% cash reward for using their connections to attract fresh foreign investment
4 October 2026
Local drugmakers see little gain from US tariff exemption
30 September 2026
Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry may see some opportunities from the latest US tariff adjustment, but the immediate benefits are likely to be limited because the country does not currently manufacture many of the highly specialised medicines covered by the measure, industry leaders said.
30 September 2026
Companies are dodging price shock by cutting costs
29 September 2026
In the coming weeks, biscuits and spices may start arriving in slightly smaller packets, while dealers and retailers of atta, maida and suji may receive lower commissions on each packet sold.
29 September 2026
Bangladesh sees gradual decline in foreign tourist arrivals
27 September 2026
Bangladesh has been registering a gradual decline in foreign tourist arrivals over the last two years amid political turmoil, security concerns and inadequate infrastructure and services.
27 September 2026
Salt imports raise concerns among local producers
25 September 2026
Bangladesh has approved imports of 150,000 tonnes of unrefined salt just weeks before the new domestic production season, raising concerns among farmers and refiners over the need for the purchases and their impact on local producers.
25 September 2026
Import rules eased for specialised fabrics
22 September 2026
The move is expected to ease sourcing of inputs for manufacturers producing specialised apparel
22 September 2026
Fuel price hike starts hitting logistics sector
22 September 2026
Owners across Chattogram port’s logistics chain have begun raising charges and pressing for rate revisions after the latest fuel price hike, stoking fears of fresh cost pressure on businesses and exporters already struggling to compete internationally.
22 September 2026
Higher fuel prices to push up costs of production
22 September 2026
The latest fuel price hike will raise production, transport and energy costs across Bangladesh, putting further pressure on businesses, exporters and consumers already facing high inflation and weak demand, business leaders said.
22 September 2026
Electrical equipment makers ignored
The proposed national budget for the next fiscal year does not address the interests of electrical equipment makers, which goes against the government’s aim of establishing Bangladesh as an industry-intensive nation, said an official.
18 June 2023
Flats, houses to be costlier
Flats and houses will become expensive as the government has increased the duties on basic construction materials such as cement, steel and tiles in the proposed budget, said a top executive of a real estate company.
16 June 2023
Electrical, electronic goods export surges
The shipment of electrical and electronics goods from Bangladesh displayed an impressive growth of 48 per cent in July-May of the outgoing financial year on the back of improving product quality and government support, official figures showed.
15 June 2023
Specific duty on crude oil imports a welcome move
Oil refiners in Bangladesh have welcomed the government’s specific duty proposed in the budget for the next fiscal year on the imports of crude oil.
11 June 2023
Textiles, RMG neglected in budget
The textile and garment sector, which earns the lion’s share of export proceeds, has been left neglected in the proposed budget, according to Shams Mahmud, a former president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
10 June 2023
Benefit extension for consumer electronics ‘encouraging’
The extension of existing benefits for local consumer electronics industries through the proposed national budget is very encouraging, said Golam Murshed, managing director and chief executive officer of Walton Hi-Tech Industries, yesterday.
8 June 2023
Leather and footwear export fall
The exports of leather footwear from Bangladesh declined 4.28 per cent year-on-year in July-May of the ongoing financial year owing to lower orders from Europe, the main market, official figures showed.
8 June 2023
Bangladesh pays first foreign bill in taka
Bangladesh has made the first payment for a mostly foreign loan-funded project in the taka, ushering in another mode of better preserving foreign currency reserves.
7 June 2023
Steel prices unlikely to cool down
The price of steel products is unlikely to decline in the coming days from its current record level as the budget for the upcoming fiscal year has not offered any benefit to the sector, said a top executive.
5 June 2023
Rise in clinker duty a burden on consumers
The increase of duty on the import of cement clinker by Tk 200 per tonne will have an adverse impact on the cost of production and put a burden on consumers, said Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury, chief executive officer of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Limited.
5 June 2023
State enterprises may see higher losses next fiscal year
State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Bangladesh will likely incur collective losses of Tk 14,703 crore in the coming fiscal year, according to the finance ministry.
4 June 2023
Some respite for cancer patients
Manufacturers of cancer medicines will be able to sell the lifesaving drugs at reasonable prices after the National Board of Revenue (NBR) extended duty-free import benefits to 100 more raw materials used to make such products.
3 June 2023
It’s unrealistic, unattainable
The proposed budget for 2023-24 is unrealistic and unattainable as the challenges that caused the economic growth to decelerate, foreign exchange reserves to dip and inflation to surge in the past one year still persist, said economists and think-tanks.
1 June 2023
PHP now making decorative glass
PHP Float Glass Industries, a concern of PHP Family, started manufacturing decorative glass at its existing facility in Mirsharai, Chattogram earlier this month.
29 May 2023
Steel makers seek tax breaks
Steel makers in Bangladesh are seeking reduced import duty, value added tax (VAT) and other tariffs in the upcoming national budget to provide products at lower prices, meaning that construction costs would likely decrease.
28 May 2023
Dhaka to get four more 5-star hotels
Dhaka is set to welcome four new five-star rated hotels over the next three years as the growing influx of travellers has heightened the demand for luxury accommodation in Bangladesh.
24 May 2023
The cost of not getting gas
Delta Agro Food Industries, a joint venture of Seacom Group and Samuda Group, has set up a factory in Narayanganj at an investment of more than Tk 1,200 crore one and a half years ago.
23 May 2023
Local production propelling the AC market in Bangladesh
Locally manufactured air conditioners (ACs) are starting to dominate the domestic market as consumers are pleased to be getting good quality cooling systems at reasonable prices.
21 May 2023
62% Japanese firms expect profit in 2023: survey
Around 62 per cent of Japanese companies in Bangladesh expect to turn a profit in 2023 even though the country’s macroeconomic situation is currently unstable, according to a survey of the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro).
15 May 2023
Bangladesh cuts import reliance for lifesaving vaccines
Bangladesh has cut its reliance on the global markets for lifesaving vaccines as a number of local manufacturers are producing quality jabs, saving a significant volume of foreign currencies, industry people say.
10 May 2023