Average daily interbank spot transactions rose to $68.7 million in June, registering a ninefold increase from $7.5 million in March and April this year, following increased market-driven exchange rate movements and improved liquidity.

Over the past eight years until fiscal year 2023-24, the country’s economy grew by more than 50 percent, painting a rosy picture of performance by major sectors, while the expansion did not translate into job creation.

The stock market has bounced back strongly within two months of falling to its lowest in the past five years, thanks to some macroeconomic-level recoveries, including a drop in inflation and the strengthening of the local currency against the greenback.

Bangladesh should maintain its policy rate at 10 percent until the middle of fiscal year 2025-26, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said, citing the inflationary pressures of a weaker currency and the heightened sensitivity of inflation expectations to exchange rate depreciation.

Banks have several layers of professionals to regularly assess their financial health and raise early warnings at the first sign of trouble.

Cottage, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (CMSMEs), although being key contributors to Bangladesh’s national GDP growth, remain stifled by limited access to finance, markets, and digital tools.

Fraudulent trade transactions are one of the key reasons behind the rise in non-performing loans (NPLs) in Bangladesh’s banking sector, creating a dangerous feedback loop that undermines financial stability and enables trade-based money laundering (TBML), according to a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM).

Bangladesh’s agricultural product exports increased slightly last fiscal year, although shipments to India fell, apparently due to its recent ban on the entry of goods, including processed foods, garments, fruits, and soft drinks, through all land ports except Bhomra.

During a coffee chat with one of my MIT fellows—an expert in global chip markets—he raised an eyebrow when I mentioned our country’s ambition to invest in chip fabs. “Can you really afford it?” he asked.

Potato exports climbed to a three-year high in the recently concluded fiscal year (FY) 2024-25, as traders took advantage of a slump in domestic prices to increase shipments abroad.

Bangladesh’s imports recovered in fiscal year 2024-25 after two years of downturns, but capital machinery imports fell for the third consecutive year, reflecting a low appetite for investment among entrepreneurs.

Top business leaders have expressed frustration over the government’s progress in negotiations with the United States on reciprocal tariffs, saying they are now working to appoint a lobbyist on their own, though doubts remain about whether this last-ditch effort will succeed.

With support from the World Bank and more importantly the IMF, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) has largely improved its policy analysis capability. The regulator has been announcing the half-yearly monetary policy statement (MPS) since 2007.

Stockbrokers have called for a reduction in the number of independent directors on the board of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), arguing that many such appointees lack relevant experience and are politically biased.

Private sector’s foreign loans started rising again as firms are showing interest in borrowing from the international market to benefit from the falling interest rate.

Over the past decade, more and more industries have sprung up across the country, steadily increasing production. But while output rose, factories did not open their doors to more workers.

The stability of Bangladesh’s banking sector is under serious threat, and it’s no longer an abstract issue confined to industry insiders or economists.

The Asian Development Bank plans to provide $1 billion in budget support to advance Bangladesh’s banking sector reforms, contingent on 25 conditions including the creation of a financial stability fund for banks facing capital shortfalls.

Gold prices were little changed on Thursday as investors held back from making significant bets, awaiting US payroll data later in the day for insight into the Federal Reserve’s policy direction.

The telecom regulator has decided to permit the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and Bangladesh Railway to extend their optical fibre networks beyond their respective grid lines and railway tracks in a bid to improve internet connectivity across the country.