IMF loan tranches: Agreement with IMF at last
The government has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund for the fourth and fifth tranche of the $4.7 billion loan programme, putting to bed months of uncertainty over their disbursement.
14 May 2025, 18:10 PM
IMF loan: Deadlock broken
The government is set to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund over the exchange rate issue that has been holding up the release of the fourth and fifth tranches of the $4.7 billion loan programme soon.
10 May 2025, 18:27 PM
FY26 budget: Debt servicing costs, food subsidies to rise
The next budget may be slightly smaller than the current fiscal year’s, but non-development spending is expected to rise by over 5 percent due to higher debt servicing costs, food subsidies, and a special allocation for bank reforms.
5 May 2025, 18:05 PM
Meeting with IMF today to break deadlock
The government and the International Monetary Fund are set to meet again today for another round of negotiations over the release of the fourth and fifth tranches of a $4.7 billion loan programme.
4 May 2025, 18:01 PM
Furnace oil: BPC drowning in stock overload
Based on private electricity producers’ request, the Power Development Board (PDB) asked Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to nearly triple its import of furnace oil to around 500,000 tonnes a month so that the electricity demand in the summer can be met.
24 April 2025, 18:08 PM
Talks with IMF: Consensus likely on exchange rate, revenue issues
The fourth tranche of the instalment was deferred due to disagreements and now talks are going on to release two tranches at once.
23 April 2025, 18:01 PM
Enforced disappearance: Life term or death penalty for culprits
Government officials will face death penalty or minimum life sentence if found guilty of causing the death of enforced disappearance victims, according to a draft ordinance unveiled yesterday.
22 April 2025, 18:01 PM
Rooppur payment: Govt to seek US sanction waiver
As much as $900 million has been on hold since 2022 in the central bank's escrow account
20 April 2025, 18:11 PM
Power subsidies may rise 83% this fiscal year
Subsidies for the power sector are likely to balloon 83 percent this fiscal year as the interim government is planning to clear all arrears owed to private power producers.
26 January 2025, 18:00 PM
Titas Gas sinks further in red on system loss
Titas Gas’s system loss hit a decade high of 1,204 million cubic meters in fiscal 2023-24 -- enough to meet a month’s import bill of high-priced liquified natural gas (LNG).
23 January 2025, 18:19 PM
Renewable ambitions still mired in uncertainty
Although the Awami League government made ambitious commitments to renewable energy before being ousted by a mass uprising in August last year, meeting those lofty goals remains a distant dream for the country.
22 January 2025, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh’s power subsidies highest among neighbours despite low use
Bangladesh has the highest per capita power subsidies among its four neighbouring countries, including India and Pakistan, despite having the second-lowest per capita consumption, according to an analysis by the Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association (BIPPA).
20 January 2025, 18:00 PM
Clear $845m by June to avoid late charges
India’s Adani power has asked Bangladesh Power Development Board to pay $845 million in arears by the end of June or face charges for late payment.
19 January 2025, 20:40 PM
Government debt now in uneasy territory
Government debt increased 13.3 percent last fiscal year to a record Tk 18.3 lakh crore, raising concerns about repayment amid the low revenue mobilisation.
9 January 2025, 18:00 PM
Tk 9,000cr unpaid bills: Power producers warn of supply disruption
The Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association (BIPPA) has urged the government to clear half of its overdue payments, amounting to Tk 9,000 crore, within the next 10 days or contend with disruptions to the electricity supply during Ramadan.
8 January 2025, 21:30 PM
Gas crisis hits households, industries
Inadequate gas supply has been forcing Farzana Akter and Rabiul Islam to eat at restaurants every morning for two weeks.
7 January 2025, 18:27 PM
Major gas price hike in the works for industrials
Industrial and captive power connections would soon have to pay a much higher tariff for gas usage after the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources decided in principle to implement a new pricing structure to reflect the fluctuating global market.
6 January 2025, 18:00 PM
15Th amendment to constitution: HC scraps part that abolished caretaker system
In a landmark verdict, the High Court yesterday scrapped a part of the 15th amendment to the constitution that abolished the non-partisan caretaker government system.
17 December 2024, 20:46 PM
Offshore gas exploration fails to attract foreign firms
Seven global oil and gas companies purchased tender documents for gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal, but none submitted the papers within the deadline, which ended yesterday.
9 December 2024, 18:00 PM
No foreign firm shows interest in Bay of Bengal gas exploration
Seven purchased tender documents, but none submitted papers finally
9 December 2024, 12:48 PM
Reliance on captive power weakens PDB
Captive power, which the industrial sector in Bangladesh leans on heavily, has been weakening the financial health of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) by costing it customers that pay the highest tariffs.
4 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Summit, Petrobangla disputing $22m bill
Summit has run into a payment dispute with Petrobangla over a $22 million bill for the four months its floating LNG terminal was out of commission as a result of damages from cyclone Remal.
3 December 2024, 18:35 PM
$234 billion siphoned off during AL rule
A total of $234 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh between 2009 and 2023, according to the white paper on the state of the economy.
1 December 2024, 22:30 PM
The first night of curfew and a surprise ‘abduction’
It was a clear moonlit night. There was a slight breeze. An eerie quiet blanketed the streets.
29 November 2024, 18:00 PM
$14b a year lost to capital flight during AL years
Bangladesh has lost around $14 billion a year on average to capital flight during the Awami League’s 15-year tenure, according to the draft report of the committee preparing a white paper on the economy.
28 November 2024, 18:41 PM
Nagorik committee: Members split over ex-Shibir leader joining
Jatiya Nagorik Committee has included a former top leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir in its extended central committee, ignoring objections from a section of committee members.
26 November 2024, 18:25 PM
Power, Energy Sector: Arrears, subsidies weighing down govt
The interim government is struggling to pay the power bill arrears that were caused largely by “unfair” contracts signed between the previous administration and power producers, and rising international fuel prices.
22 November 2024, 18:08 PM
Now coal power plants scaling back production
Coal-fired power plants are dialling down production or even shutting down due to financial, legal or technical issues, leading to power cuts across the country, especially the rural areas.
3 November 2024, 18:00 PM