Selim Raihan

Bangladesh’s latest external sector numbers deserve closer scrutiny than the reassuring headline of rising remittances suggests. A closer reading reveals an economy gradually losing one of its traditional sources of resilience: steady inflows of concessional foreign financing.

While remittances continue to support foreign exchange earnings, the simultaneous decline in foreign loan commitments and disbursements, coupled with rising debt repayments, points to a tightening external financing environment

The other day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transforming Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034. While the ambition is welcome, there is a policy puzzle that needs to be encountered

Growth cannot be declared or budgeted into existence; it must be earned through credibility, investment, productivity, and institutional change.

Exports stood at around $48 billion, down by 0.58 percent from the previous year, despite a sharp June increase. This means the rebound came too late to change the annual picture. It may signal some recovery in orders, delayed shipment adjustments, or short-term buyer confidence. But it does not prove that the export sector has regained strength.

Every year, the national budget contains some good initiatives.

Budgets often reveal more through their tensions than through their promises. The proposed budget for FY2026-27 is no exception.

Bangladesh has reached a point where social protection can no longer be treated as a set of small compensatory programmes for the poor.