Investors took a ceasefire between Israel and Iran as a green light to head back into riskier assets

Officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) continued their nationwide pen-down strike for a second consecutive day yesterday, demanding the removal of the NBR chairman and the cancellation of recent transfer orders.

Global tech giant Google officially launched Google Wallet—commonly known as Google Pay—in Bangladesh yesterday, enabling customers to make contactless payments using just their smartphones, doing away with the need for plastic cards.

Shipping costs for liquefied natural gas cargoes have rallied to their highest in about eight months with vessel availability tightened by a shift in more ships heading to Asia at the same time as conflict has escalated in the Middle East.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has uncovered tax evasion amounting to nearly Tk 6,250 crore since September 2024, according to a statement issued yesterday.

The stock market has almost closed the books on the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 without a single company getting listed through an initial public offering (IPO), a rare event not seen in decades.

As of July 2022, there were 272,598 companies registered with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC) in Bangladesh, according to media reports. By 2025, this number is estimated to reach 300,000. Yet only about 40,000 of these companies file tax returns annually, according to the tax authority.

The world is facing the “most complex” geopolitical situation seen in decades, the head of the World Economic Forum (WEF) told AFP Tuesday, warning that turmoil was “impacting global growth”.

BBS’s provisional GDP growth estimates for FY25 unveiled a second consecutive year of growth recession. Given the trials Bangladesh has endured since the outset of the year, the numbers carry the story of the economy’s adaptation to adversities. A 3.97 percent real GDP growth is at par with the IMF’s 3.9 percent projected for Asia in 2025. It is not too bad considering the adverse natural and political weather that stressed a state struggling to function with hollowed institutions.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves are projected to rise modestly to $23.6 billion in the next fiscal year from $21.7 billion in the current year, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expanded its total support package amid ongoing efforts to stabilise the country’s macroeconomy.

The government will complete bringing about amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act by October this year as the country has committed to improving it to international standards, said Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain yesterday.

The country now has $22.24 billion in foreign exchange, equal to four months' import bills

Finance ministry sits with different banks to find ways to boost investment in stock market

SMEs urge Secure Transactions Act's movable asset collateral for wider bank financing

The subsidiary company of Robi Axiata named the platform Axentec Cloud

Representatives from WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement Tracking Tools Mission sit with the FBCCI leaders

The DSEX rose 22.62 points to close at 4,717.65

The awards were presented in 16 categories

The latest forecast is close to the government’s projection of 5.5 percent growth for FY26.

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund yesterday approved the fourth and fifth instalments of its loan for Bangladesh, a top-up of the original $4.7 billion credit by about $800 million with a six-month extension.