Heavy rainfall continued to disrupt cargo handling at Chattogram port for a third consecutive day yesterday, slowing customs inspections, cargo deliveries and unloading operations at the outer anchorage.

Home appliance maker Singer Bangladesh has been moved to the “Z” or junk category on the Dhaka bourse after its accumulated losses exceeded its paid-up capital.

The operator of the Patenga Container Terminal has raised storage charges fourfold for less-than-container-load (LCL) cargoes that remain at its container freight stations beyond the free storage period.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cut its forecast for Bangladesh’s economic growth to 4.5 percent for the current fiscal year, down from its April projection of 4.7 percent, citing energy supply constraints and vulnerabilities in the banking sector.

Strong remittance growth, stable reserve levels and rising investment-related imports leave Bangladesh’s external sector well-positioned to absorb moderate shocks and support overall macroeconomic stability in the near term, according to the General Economics Division (GED).

Bangladesh could face renewed pressure on its export sector as the United States prepares a fresh round of tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act, a move that would not only raise the country’s trade costs but also deepen uncertainty across developing Asia, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned.

The government yesterday signed a lease agreement to hand over an additional 14.80 acres of land at the Narsingdi unit of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) to Jute Alliance Limited for setting up a soybean seed crushing plant.

Bangladesh should accelerate reforms, including the removal of non-tariff barriers and improvements to the business environment, to pave the way for advancing talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union, the economic bloc’s Ambassador Michael Miller said yesterday.

The previous commission of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) realised only Tk 33 lakh – just 0.02 percent of the Tk 1,500 crore in fines it imposed over around two years, said Masud Khan, chairman of the commission.

The government is confident that it will meet its revenue collection target for the current fiscal year, as the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is fully prepared, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said yesterday.

Today, the ADB published the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2025

Initiatives have been taken to allow cases to be filed directly with the Capital Market Tribunal

The disruption came as Chattogram continued to experience heavy rainfall, a day after recording its highest single-day rainfall in 42 years on Tuesday

The Asian Development Outlook July 2026 said the economy grew 3.7 percent in FY26

The government has formed a high-level committee to recommend ways to make the country’s public procurement system more effective.

Bangladesh’s economy is expected to grow by 4.4 percent in the current fiscal year 2026-27, supported by easing global headwinds and domestic economic reforms, according to HSBC.

The country’s current account deficit narrowed in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2025-26, helped by record remittance inflows, although weak economic activity continued to hold back trade and investment.

Multilateral financial institutions have failed to address the economic fallout of geopolitical conflicts, leaving developing countries to bear billions of dollars in additional costs without adequate international support, said Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, the prime minister’s adviser on finance and planning.

The government has imposed a fresh round of austerity measures for the fiscal year 2026-27, restricting spending on new vehicles, buildings, land acquisition and most foreign travel to rein in public expenditure, curb inflation and preserve macroeconomic stability.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood yesterday said the government cannot cancel contracts with private power producers at will because they are backed by sovereign guarantees, making the process legally complex and time-consuming.