Recently, Fitch Ratings observed that Bangladesh’s economic risks have increased, prompting a downgrade of the country’s sovereign outlook from “stable” to “negative.”

Despite achieving healthy economic growth over the past decade, Bangladesh’s economy is now showing signs of strain due to persistent inflation and slowing private investment, exposing underlying weaknesses, experts said at an event yesterday.

The government has created a five-year plan that aims to turn Bangladesh into a trillion-dollar economy by 2034 and create 1 crore jobs by 2030, driven by an upsurge in investment.

The government’s ambition to build a trillion-dollar economy by 2034 will remain out of reach without urgent reforms in banking, taxation, and business costs, as the country’s current economic structure is too weak to sustain the level of growth required, a leading economist said.

When Fitch Ratings revised its outlook on Bangladesh to “negative,” it attributed the downgrade to the Middle East conflict, external financing pressures, and existing economic vulnerabilities.

The new BNP government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, took office on February 17, 2026. It inherited a fragile and unstable economy.

The study on GVCs, growth, and inequality was released yesterday

Empirical data confirms the ongoing trend. According to figures released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the US dollar’s share of foreign currency reserves decreased from roughly 71 percent in 1999 to around 57 percent by the end of 2025, the lowest level recorded in the last 30 years.

Over more than five decades, Bangladesh has progressed reasonably well in socioeconomic terms compared to many of its peers among the least developed and developing countries.

However, a new agreement could involve greater scrutiny and more severe structural targets, thus leaving Bangladesh with less flexibility for policymaking.

The week was also marked by a revenue collection shortfall heading into the fiscal year-end

Bangladesh’s macroeconomic outlook is fragile as it faces three concurrent adverse external headwinds, including the Middle East crisis and the country’s impending graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, said the Policy Research Institute (PRI) of Bangladesh yesterday.

Uncertainty around US tariff policies is another factor that casts a shadow over the faster recovery prospects of the economy

Iran-US war is worsening our cost-of-living situation

For millions, the cost of living has been rising for three years. A record fuel price hike made everything worse overnight...

Designates ICT as special priority sector

Govt must fix fragile economy to weather shockwaves from Middle East.

Small businesses and service providers, from retail shops to transport and personal services, are expanding more rapidly than formal manufacturing units, prompting economists to question the sustainability of the country’s long-term growth.

Amir Khosru says govt has drawn up a broad action plan centred on investment, jobs, exports and macroeconomic stability

Amid the prevailing Middle East crisis and economic lull, Bangladesh is heading into a prolonged holiday period around Eid-ul-Fitr.