Banks in the Middle East and Central Asia have very limited exposure to last month’s banking turmoil in the United States and Europe, but financial pressures are adding to strains caused by high interest rates, volatile oil prices and years of double-digit inflation, a top IMF official said on Saturday.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a country in central Africa, has enabled a lot of opportunities for Bangladeshi businesses and foundations in contract farming. 

Malaysia plans to introduce a second 5G network from next year, four sources told Reuters, in the latest policy shake-up aimed at dismantling monopolies and promoting competition by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s six-month-old administration.

Financial pressures are adding to strains caused by high interest rates, volatile oil prices and years of double-digit inflation.

JPMorgan Chase reported a jump in first-quarter profits Friday alongside fellow banking giants Citigroup and Wells Fargo, in reassuring news to investors after recent banking sector turmoil sparked contagion fears.

Bank of England policymaker Silvana Tenreyro said past interest rate rises would take time to bear down on inflation, and that it was important not to over-adjust policy while the impact of these past rate rises was feeding through.

Retail sales in the United States slipped more than anticipated in March, according to government data released Friday, extending a downward trend that signals cooling in the economy.

India’s foreign exchange reserves jumped to $584.76 billion for the week ended April 7, the highest in nine months, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) statistical supplement showed on Friday.

Russian oil exports jumped to their highest level in almost three years in March despite Western sanctions, but revenues were down sharply from last year, the International Energy Agency said Friday.

Pakistan announced financial support Friday from the United Arab Emirates and China totalling $1.3 billion, giving the ailing economy a shot in the arm as it seeks to meet conditions for the resumption of an International Monetary Fund bailout.

A bhori will cost Tk 98,444.16 from tomorrow

China’s exports unexpectedly surged in March, with officials flagging rising demand for electric vehicles, but analysts cautioned the improvement partly reflects suppliers catching up with unfulfilled orders after last year’s Covid-19 disruptions.

US consumer inflation slowed in March, according to data released Wednesday, but remained well above the Federal Reserve’s target despite numerous interest rate hikes over the last year.

The World Bank should take on added reform measures this year, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday, after initial steps to update the global lender’s mission and boost its financing capacity.

Britain now looks set for a shallower economic hit this year than previously thought but remains on course to suffer the sharpest contraction among the world’s big economies, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

Global government debt is on track to reach levels not seen since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Wednesday.

Gold prices firmed on Wednesday as the dollar weakened, with investors awaiting the US Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting minutes and inflation data for signs of how close interest rates are to peaking.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday that it expects India’s economy to grow 5.9 per cent in the current fiscal year though it warned that turmoil in the financial system will hurt global growth.

Asia’s economic growth could outpace developed countries’ by 5 per cent by end-2023 driven by China’s easing of Covid-19 curbs, strong domestic demand and interest rates staying in less-restrictive territory, said Morgan Stanley economists.

Japan has proposed developing an industrial hub in Bangladesh with supply chains to the landlocked northeastern states of India, and to Nepal and Bhutan beyond by developing a port and transport in the region, officials said on Tuesday.