Bangladesh is hopeful of signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea within the year as the two sides are set to hold the third round of negotiations in Seoul today.

Bangladesh may harvest a lower quantity of rice from the current Boro season as farmers have faced difficulties in ensuring adequate irrigation and fertiliser application, due to shortages of key production inputs, according to a projection by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The following is a recap of those major stories as covered by Star Business

The initiative is expected to benefit at least 400,000 residents

The introduction of minimum tax under Section 163 is not only ultra vires but also in contravention of the constitution of Bangladesh

The ADB said the economy might pick up and grow by 4.7 percent in the next fiscal year

Growth predictions could fall to as low as 4.7% for 2026 and 4.8% in 2027 should the war drag into third quarter

The budget for 2026-27 fiscal year is likely to exceed the Tk 9,00,000 crore mark, as the government moves to fulfil its electoral pledges, partially implement recommendations to raise salaries of its employees, and shield the economy from the fallout of the ongoing Middle East conflict.

A surge in potato supply at the peak of the harvest season has pushed cold storage facilities close to full, leaving farmers with little choice but to sell at rock-bottom rates.

Brummer Frontier PE II (Mauritius) Ltd is going to sell one-third of its stake in Runner Automobiles Ltd, worth more than Tk 19 crore.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) plans to introduce fully automated refunds for individual income tax and corporate tax from next year to make the process faster and easier for taxpayers, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said yesterday.

The war in the Middle East has exposed weaknesses in Bangladesh’s energy sector, highlighting long-standing gaps in planning and implementation, speakers said at an event yesterday.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves strengthened in early 2026, though rising global energy prices could threaten the gains, according to a report by the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission.

Bangladesh’s direct tax expenditure -- comprising rebates, exemptions, and concessional tax rates -- fell 8 percent year-on-year to Tk 1.07 lakh crore in fiscal year 2022-23, according to data published by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) yesterday.

Bangladesh’s petroleum import bill soared 52 percent year on year in the July-February period of the current fiscal year, even before the war in the Middle East broke out, raising fears of a heavier eco-nomic impact ahead.

Gold prices were steady on Thursday as investors remained cautious ‌about the fragile US-Iran ceasefire, with a key US inflation report due later in the day also in focus for interest rate clues.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has extended the tenure of its pre-shipment credit refinance scheme until December 31, 2030, aiming to ensure continued financing support for export-oriented industries amid persistent global economic uncertainty.

Oil prices rose on Thursday as doubts over ​a fragile two-week Middle East ceasefire raised concerns that energy flows through the crucial Strait of ‌Hormuz will remain restricted.

India has hiked subsidies for farming fertilisers by 11 percent from last year to support its vast agriculture sector from surging prices sparked by the Middle East war.

Business leaders and institutional investors are increasingly turning to Asia and artificial intelligence (AI) as they reposition for growth in an uncertain global environment, according to a new survey by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation PLC (HSBC).