7+ hour, 16+ min ago   (982+ words) Repeated policy concessions, political patronage and a culture of impunity for wilful defaulters have pushed non-performing loans (NPLs) in Bangladesh to a record Tk 6.06 lakh crore, according to bankers and an industry expert. Bad debt across the country’s banking sector…...

6+ hour ago   (826+ words) A growing consumer push to buy Canadian and boycott US products is reshaping supermarket shelves in Canada, forcing grocers to improve country-of-origin labeling and secure new sources of supply. In Ontario, the president of independent grocer Vince's Market, Giancarlo Trimarchi,…...

3+ hour, 21+ min ago   (263+ words) Since the political changeover in August 2024, Bangladesh has experienced significant political and social changes. Under the interim government, uncertainty remained over policy direction and the predictability of administrative procedures. It was certainly not an easy business environment for foreign companies....

7+ hour, 20+ min ago   (247+ words) The government will facilitate US investors as they have committed to investing another $5 billion in Bangladesh over the next five years, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said yesterday. Speaking at the 30th anniversary celebration of the American Chamber of Commerce in…...

8+ hour ago   (544+ words) The government built 39 high-tech and software technology parks at a huge cost, but the facilities have failed to deliver the expected investment, jobs and technology growth, according to stakeholders. They blamed a shortage of skilled workers, weak industry-academia links, poor…...

12+ hour, 57+ min ago   (565+ words) Safety shoes made by Bangladeshi workers in Chattogram are being used by workers in the oil and gas extraction and pipeline industries in the United States, miners in China and mountaineers in Europe. The shoes are produced by Xin Chang…...

8+ hour, 40+ min ago   (737+ words) High government taxes, expensive fuel, steep ground-handling charges and congestion caused by Dhaka airport's single runway are pushing up airlines' operating costs, expenses that ultimately land on passengers' ticket prices, an airline managing director said yesterday. Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun,…...

10+ hour, 36+ min ago   (256+ words) The first issue is data. Researchers in Bangladesh often work with data that is delayed, difficult to access or inconsistent across sources. This makes analysis difficult. We need a statistical system that provides timely, reliable and transparent data, and makes…...

11+ hour, 5+ min ago   (679+ words) Paisano Marma, 34, a mother of two from Khagrachhari’s Guimara upazila, once depended on daily wage labour, earning barely Tk 4,500 a month. The income was often not enough to cover household expenses and her children’s education. “I always wanted to give…...

11+ hour, 17+ min ago   (793+ words) When war in the Middle East sent fuel prices climbing, Bangladesh looked like an obvious casualty. An import-dependent economy with a thin reserve cushion and a recent history of dollar shortages had every reason to buckle. It has not. Reserves…...