EBL highlights how digital platforms and their EBL Skybanking application are transforming Ramadan retail. In this interview, Ali Reza Iftekhar, Managing Director of EBL details the bank’s efforts to foster value-driven “smart spending” through strategic merchant partnerships, secure remittances, and robust cashless payment systems.

As Ramadan and Eid increasingly reshape consumer spending patterns in Bangladesh, banks are accelerating digital innovation to support convenient financial transactions.

According to the latest Payment Systems report of Bangladesh Bank, in 2024, while ATM withdrawals remain significant at BDT 677 billion, they are now dwarfed by Internet Banking Fund Transfer (IBFT), which settled a staggering BDT 1,961 billion.

The Daily Star (TDS): With Ramadan approaching, how has your bank observed a shift in consumer spending behavior in recent years?

Bank Asia’s festive banking experience redefines Eid celebrations through smart-spending solutions, combining seamless digital payments and exclusive merchant rewards with disciplined savings plans.

Ramadan has always been a month of deep-rooted tradition, but the way we navigate it is undergoing a quiet, digital revolution.

Financial management and security have transcended personal boundaries to become an integral pillar of the global economy.

As Bangladesh’s governance, economy, and public services grow ever more dependent on technology, the capacity to withstand and recover from large-scale digital attacks has become inseparable from the very idea of national security itself.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) embodies this belief by inspiring students to become curious inquirers, thoughtful collaborators and creative problem solvers who see learning as a lifelong pursuit.

The throne was seized. But the story of how it was won cannot be separated from the story of the empire that collapsed to make it possible.

Monira Rahman is more than a pioneer; she is a promise that even from the ashes of fire and acid, light and hope can grow.

At first glance, the diagnosis seems obvious: Bangladesh is facing a severe jobs crisis. But that explanation tells only half the story.

Bangladesh’s refrigerator industry has undergone a striking transformation over the past decade and a half, evolving from an import-dependent market into a predominantly local manufacturing powerhouse by 2025-26.

Over the last decade, Walton has grown from a fast-rising local brand into a serious regional exporter in home cooling.

Refrigerators are much more than just cold boxes. They have some truly bizarre “hidden” features. Here are the most interesting and unknown facts about them:

In Bangladesh, heat, humidity and voltage instability make dependable refrigeration a necessity rather than a convenience. Performance is increasingly judged not by basic function but by consistency under real-world conditions.

Refrigerators are no longer silent metal boxes; they’re intelligent, sustainable hubs at the heart of smart homes.

Singer Bangladesh’s refrigerator portfolio reflects evolving consumer expectations shaped by household size, climate realities, and growing emphasis on energy efficiency.

Over the years, Jamuna Refrigerators have established a strong and trusted position among consumers.

The upcoming referendum is unique in the sense that voters will not be the final stop in the process.