Sukanta Halder

Bangladesh’s luxury hotel industry is experiencing a downturn as political uncertainty reduces the number of foreign guests, according to a top executive of the local hospitality sector.

After slightly declining since the Covid-19 outbreak, the proportion of women among bankers edged up last year, giving hope of a more gender-inclusive banking sector.

In 2020, females accounted for over 18 percent of the sector’s workforce, according to the Bangladesh Bank’s (BB) “Gender Equality Report of Banks and Financial Institutions”

As of the first week of March, the private sector had imported only 2.63 lakh tonnes of rice against the approved 16.75 lakh tonnes

In a clear violation of regulatory guidelines, 11 life and non-life insurance companies are currently operating without permanent chief executive officers (CEOs).

Industrial users are counting 30 to 50 percent production losses for the last couple of months thanks to a gas shortage.

It’s a typical price pattern -- every year, as Ramadan approaches, the cost of essential commodities climbs, sometimes sharply. And 2025 is no exception.

Although Bangladesh’s insurance sector has suffered a confidence crisis due to widespread corruption over the past 15 years, the interim government has not taken notable reform measures for the industry.

The interim government has not pursued significant reforms in the insurance sector

In 2003, Pran, a leading food processor and conglomerate in Bangladesh, made its first foray into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market.

Consumers say that the supply of bottled soybean oil has not improved significantly, while several players in the local supply chain have expressed mixed reactions regarding the outlook of the edible oil market ahead of Ramadan, when demand for the cooking staple nearly doubles.

Potato exports from Bangladesh are picking up after last fiscal year’s unusual slump, as a sharp drop in domestic prices provides hope that they could reach levels of the past decade or so.

Lured by high prices during the potato planting season in November last year, farmers expanded cultivation of the tuber at an unprecedented rate this season. 

The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) met with refiners yesterday and concluded that the country does not have any shortage of edible oil at present.

Kitchen markets, including those in the capital Dhaka, are facing a shortage of both branded bottled and non-branded loose soybean oil, prompting prices to spike and causing frustration among consumers already struggling with stubbornly high inflation.

Initially, the policy will cover dogs and cats

Only 8,000 gold ornament shops out of a total of 40,000 stores are under the VAT net currently

The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (Idra) has declared fines amounting to Tk 37 lakh on six insurance companies for breaching rules..Through these penalties, the watchdog of Bangladesh’s insurance industry aims to encourage better regulatory compliance and transparency amon

After a record high output in 2023, the country’s tea production declined last year because of unfavourable weather conditions and tea estates opting for quality improvement to secure better rates.

The government is formulating a policy with the aim of distributing smart cards among farmers to ensure the delivery of subsidies and other government support, such as that for coping with natural disasters.