The key indexes of the stock markets in Bangladesh fell yesterday as investors booked profits and continued their wait and see approach as the economy reels from the global crisis.

Md Abdul Jabber, who was previously serving Janata Bank as deputy managing director, joined Bangladesh Krishi Bank as managing director on Saturday. 

Local businesses want the government to start the negotiation with Canada to ink a free trade agreement (FTA) in order to retain the duty-free market access in the North American nation, said a chamber leader.

Pran-RFL Group’s toy brand Playtime Toy has launched a “Mini Cooper Car” in Dhaka recently, drivable by children, a remote control and an app for over four hours on a single charge, for a price of Tk 16,000. 

Foreign firms and joint ventures located in the economic zones can access working capital loans in the taka from the domestic banking system for their operations catering to the local market, said the Bangladesh Bank yesterday.

Although four months have already passed in the current fiscal year, four out of 56 ministries and divisions are yet to spend 1 per cent of the allocations they received under the Annual Development Programme (ADP).

International technology and machinery providers are flocking to Bangladesh as local apparel exporters are adopting new technologies to reduce water consumption, advance automation and produce sustainable products to win the hearts of consumers.

An industrial estate of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Khulna is yet to be fully developed even though more than half a century has passed since its establishment.

The Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (Barvida) has urged the Mongla port authority not to increase the rent for keeping imported vehicles on the port premises amid the ongoing economic slowdown.

Today Abdul Karim is happy because he is going to complete the tax return form and he will be ready to submit it to the tax circle.

The Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) has launched its National Internet Exchange (NIX) service in a bid to keep data within the country.

When Bangladesh embarked on a journey to set up 100 economic zones across the country in 2015, the government’s aim was to attract both foreign and local investments as it looks to accelerate industrialisation, create one crore jobs and export $40 billion worth of goods and services from the enclaves in the next 15 years.

Bangladesh’s economy is likely to grow at 6.5 per cent by the end of the current fiscal year, down from 7.2 per cent in fiscal year 2021-22, according to Fitch Solutions early this week.

Ambee Pharmaceuticals Ltd’s profit surged 150 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of the current financial year.

Nearly half a year ago, farmers harvested the dry Boro season paddy. Then they took home Aus season paddy in August. And now, they are harvesting rain-based Aman season paddy and preparing to cultivate the next season’s Boro paddy.

The woes of the mobile manufacturing industry in Bangladesh continues as the slowdown in sales has persisted for the last eight months amid higher consumer prices.

Cross-border trade through land ports in Bangladesh has halved over the past month as importers are facing severe difficulties in opening letters of credit (LCs) amid the country’s US dollar shortage.

Growth in tax collection has slowed due to falling receipts from customs amid import tightening by the Bangladesh Bank coupled with lower corporate earnings as the economy continues to reel from the ongoing US dollar and gas crises.

Wheat flour prices marked a fresh spike yesterday as the market continues to suffer from a supply crunch resulting from slumping imports of the grain.

Bangladesh may witness slower economic growth in the coming future if it retains the consumption-led growth, which will also exacerbate the widening inequality, said a development economist yesterday.