Bangladesh is more dependent on imported fuel because of its limited primary energy. Hence, policymakers need to work towards ensuring energy efficiency, said the chief of Bangladesh Independent Power Producers’ Association (BIPPA).

As dawn broke yesterday, Asia Begum prepared again for her daily battle to buy essential goods at subsidised prices in order to save a few bucks and bear other family expenses.

Like the outgoing year, 2024 could be a challenging year but it will also offer immense opportunities to Bangladesh’s corporate sector to post growth, said eminent industrialist M Anis Ud Dowla.

Bangladesh’s economy might see a boom in the coming years if mega projects such as the Bay Terminal of Chattogram Port, the Matarbari Deep Sea Port and the Dhaka-Chattogram Elevated Expressway are completed on time, said BSRM Chairman Alihussain Akberali.

The global economy seems to remain fragile in 2024 though inflationary pressure might come down despite the continuation of the wars in Europe and the Middle East, said Kanti Kumar Saha, chief executive officer of Alliance Finance PLC.

Businesses in Bangladesh will likely start recovering from the ongoing economic downturn after March 2024 if the inflationary pressure and US dollar crisis in the country are resolved.

The recent passing of Mr Fazlur Rahman, the founder of City Group, has left a profound void in the hearts of many who are mourning the loss of an iconic entrepreneur and industrialist.

The government owes private power producers a total of Tk 25,000 crore in unpaid bills with some companies having unsettled payments for more than nine months.

Rose growers across Savar in the central region of Bangladesh are enjoying good yields and sales of the flower amid the peak sales season this year, with prices having reached sky-high on New Year's Eve

The opportunities for Bangladesh are not limited to a year, rather are continued and for the long-term, said Yasir Azman, chief executive officer at Grameenphone, the largest mobile phone operator.

Businesses in Bangladesh managed to demonstrate resilience in 2023 despite lingering challenges stemming from the war between Russia and Ukraine and the fuel price volatility in the international market, said Rupali Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC)

The present government started its journey at a time when the global economic environment was conducive to growth and low inflation. Food prices had stabilised after the global food crisis of 2007-08. Interest rates were lowered globally in response to the global economic crisis of 2008.

Garment exports from Bangladesh may witness moderate growth of between 7 and 10 percent in 2024 after struggling to perform strongly in the outgoing year due to a global economic slowdown.

The Bangladesh economy faced extended economic distress after recovering partially from the pandemic before facing the cost-of-living increases and external payment imbalances. Economic activity slowed in 2023 with persistently high inflation and erosion of external buffers.

Bangladesh’s corn import may plunge in the marketing year (MY) 2023-24 beginning from May owing to reduced requirement of feed in poultry, aqua and other farms, and difficulties faced by millers in importing goods amid the ongoing forex shortage in the country, according to a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The government’s spending on interest payments against the mounting foreign debt surged 136.70 percent year-on-year to $562 million in the first five months of the current fiscal year as disbursements surged in recent years.

Bangladesh is set to become the world's 20th largest economy by 2038 owing to continued economic growth, according to a forecast by the London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on Wednesday.

Dutch-Bangla Bank PLC, a private bank in Bangladesh, plans to raise Tk 1,200 crore through the sale of subordinated bonds, according to a company disclosure posted on the Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday.

There is no chance of Bangladeshi garment factories using materials like cotton, yarn and fabrics produced in China’s Xinjiang region, said Faruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), yesterday.

Bangladesh’s rice production may decline slightly in marketing year (MY) 2023-24 as a result of partial damage to Aman rice crop, now being harvested in Southern coastal districts, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said last week.