Foreign-debt servicing by Bangladesh more than doubled compared to loans disbursed to the country in the first month of this fiscal year in a mismatch on the external finance front. Bangladesh Trade Data
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The amount it received in foreign loans in July shows a fall in disbursements by 13.38 per cent year on year.

Foreign-aid disbursement came down to US$180.18 million in July from $208.04 million in the same period of the FY26, according to Economic Relations Division (ERD) data released Sunday.

During the month, Bangladesh repaid a total of $453.23 million in principal and interest on medium- to long-term (MLT) loans taken from development partners. It was $446.68 million in the same month a year before.

On the other hand, commitment of foreign assistance dropped by more than 83 per cent to a peanut $14.05 million during the period under review from $83.46 million in the first month of the FY26.Financial Express archive

Bangladesh's foreign-debt repayments are projected to "aggressively outpace fresh foreign-fund receipts within the next three fiscal years", according to government projection.

As per the projection, it may need to repay a total of $5.61 billion as principal and interest for the total external outstanding in the current FY2027, while $6.89 billion in FY2028 and $7.565 billion in FY2029.

A UNB report adds: However, grants disbursement increased by $0.20 million, or nearly 64.5 percent, during the month.

No foreign assistance was disbursed under the food-assistance category in either July 2026 or July 2025.

Foreign assistance remains an important source of financing for Bangladesh's development projects, particularly infrastructure, energy, transport, health and other priority sectors.

The disbursement of loans and grants depends largely on project- implementation progress and compliance with conditions attached to development assistance.

Customs intelligence units are asked to coordinate examinations of import consignments to avert cumbersome crosscheck and thus reduce port clearance time and cost of business for importers.
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The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued the order for customs intelligence units to coordinate with the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) and the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) in such work, as businesses often resent overlapping of trade scrutiny.

Customs officials have also been instructed not to seek documents beyond those specified in the Goods Declaration, Assessment and Re-assessment Rules 2024. They cannot demand manual copies of documents already submitted electronically.

The directives are part of 12 urgent instructions issued by the NBR to customs houses and stations across Bangladesh to ensure revenue security while expediting the clearance of imported goods.

It was a long-pressed demand from the business community to simply customs process and coordinate investigation processes rather than separately seeking documents from them.

The government's revenue authority has also instructed customs authorities to strengthen risk-based examination, eliminate unnecessary procedures and avoid multiple physical examinations of the same consignment unless a confirmed risk does exist.

The directions on dos and don'ts, issued on August 30, call for regular updating of the ASYCUDA World System selectivity criteria so that consignments can be selected for examination based on revenue risks.

"Findings from physical examinations should also be used to improve future risk-selection criteria," says the latest order on external-trade front.

The NBR has also directed officials to avoid unnecessary manual registers and data recording and not to forward files of non-risky consignments to higher authorities unless there are specific instructions from the revenue board.

Responsible officers must regularly monitor unstuffing activities and gate verification at sea, land and air ports, it says.

All unnecessary steps in the assessment and clearance process should be eliminated, according to the directives.

To expedite the release of imported goods, customs authorities have been asked to issue notices to importers and clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents and take legal action where necessary.

The NBR has also ordered customs authorities to complete auction procedures for stuck-up goods swiftly.

The notification, signed by Second Secretary (Customs: Policy) Rezaul Karim, was circulated to major Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerates for immediate implementation.

Hailing the instructions, administrator of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Fazlul Haque said proper implementation of the instructions with close monitoring is important.

"There are plenty of laws and orders but compliance with those must be ensured through motivation," he said, adding that punishment of officials often not help to inspire others to work with full motivation.

The Bangladesh Bank has set the terms for two refinancing schemes worth Tk13,000 crore to boost agricultural production, ensure food security, and increase economic activity and employment in rural areas.

Under the schemes, the interest rate on loans at the farmer and customer level will be capped at 7%.

In two separate circulars issued today (30 August), the central bank announced the terms of a Tk10,000 crore Agricultural Refinance Scheme and a Tk3,000 crore refinancing fund for establishing an agriculture-based special economic hub in northern Bangladesh.

Tk10,000cr scheme

Under the Tk10,000 crore refinancing scheme, participating banks will receive refinancing from Bangladesh Bank at an interest rate of 3%. At the farmer or customer level, however, the interest rate on loans will be capped at 7%.

For Shariah-based financing, the profit rate must be determined in accordance with Shariah-approved principles. However, the rate cannot exceed 7%. The same interest or profit rate will apply to all customers.

Banks will have to repay the refinancing received from Bangladesh Bank, along with 3% interest, within a maximum of 18 months.

Tk3,000 crore for northern Bangladesh

The customer-level interest rate will also be capped at 7% under the Tk3,000 crore refinancing fund for establishing an agriculture-based special economic hub in northern Bangladesh. Under the fund, banks will receive refinancing from Bangladesh Bank at an interest rate of 3%.

Depending on the sector, the loan tenure will range from a maximum of 18 to 36 months. In certain sectors, loans may be provided for up to 18 months, including a three-month grace period.

For other sectors, the maximum loan tenure will be 36 months, including a grace period of three to six months. Banks will have to repay the funds received from Bangladesh Bank, along with 3% interest, within the stipulated repayment period.

If the funds are not used properly or a bank charges more than 7% interest, Bangladesh Bank will impose an additional 2% interest on the amount concerned and recover it in a lump-sum payment.

Banks will also have to promote the loan facility at 7% interest through campaigns inside and outside their branches.

Bangladesh and China prepare to launch a new two-tier diplomacy and defence dialogue that signals a further deepening of ties between Dhaka and Beijing following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent visit.
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The proposed model of dialogue was discussed Sunday during a meeting between Bangladesh state minister for foreign affairs Humaiun Kabir and Chinese ambassador in Bangladesh Yao Wen at the foreign ministry in Dhaka.

The two sides also agreed to work towards launching a foreign minister-level strategic dialogue, as Bangladesh seeks to give greater institutional depth to its relationship with its largest trading partner and a major development and infrastructure partner.

Kabir described China as a "trusted friend and valued strategic partner" and reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to the one-China principle. He said Dhaka was pleased with the renewed momentum in bilateral relations and the elevation of ties to what the two governments describe as a "China-Bangladesh Community with a Shared Future".

The developments follow Rahman's recent visit to China, during which the two countries advanced cooperation on infrastructure, trade and investment.

Yao briefed Kabir on the outcomes of the prime minister's China visit, including the groundbreaking of the China Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ), the signing of a commercial contract for the modernisation of Mongla seaport and possible Chinese cooperation in establishing a Mongla export-processing zone.

According to the Chinese side, the CEIZ is expected to attract about 30 Chinese companies and investment of roughly $500m, with the potential to create an estimated 100,000 jobs for Bangladeshis.

The proposed diplomacy and defence dialogue could add a new dimension to a relationship that has traditionally been driven by trade, infrastructure and development cooperation. Bangladesh has increasingly sought to diversify its economic and strategic partnerships while maintaining its longstanding diplomatic principle of balancing relations among major powers.

The two sides also discussed the long-running issue of the Teesta river, with cooperation on the comprehensive management and restoration of the river again featuring in their talks.

For Dhaka, the Teesta remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in its relationship with India. Bangladesh has for years sought a comprehensive agreement on the sharing and management of the river, while China has previously offered to participate in a major water-management project in the Teesta basin.

The meeting also covered the possible export of Bangladeshi jackfruit and guava to the Chinese market, the proposed China-Bangladesh-Myanmar economic corridor and cooperation over the Rohingya crisis.

The Rohingya issue remains a major concern for Bangladesh, which hosts more than a million refugees who fled violence and persecution in Myanmar. Dhaka has repeatedly sought greater international pressure on Myanmar to create conditions for a safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.

China has played a significant diplomatic role in efforts to facilitate Rohingya repatriation, although repeated attempts to begin large-scale returns have so far failed.

The meeting comes as Bangladesh and China prepare for a series of high-level exchanges.

Yao has said senior Chinese officials are expected to visit Bangladesh, including the vice-president of China International Development Cooperation Agency, the minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the executive vice-governor of Yunnan province.

The Chinese ambassador also invited Kabir to visit China in October.

The flurry of planned exchanges suggests that Rahman's China visit could mark the beginning of a more structured phase in Bangladesh-China relations, extending cooperation beyond major infrastructure projects into diplomacy, defence, investment and regional connectivity.

For Beijing, Bangladesh occupies an important position in its broader economic and strategic engagement with South Asia and the Bay of Bengal. For Dhaka, closer engagement with China offers access to investment, infrastructure financing and a vast export market at a time when Bangladesh is seeking new sources of trade and economic growth.

The proposed strategic and defence dialogues will, therefore, be closely watched in the region, particularly as Bangladesh seeks to deepen relations with China while navigating its longstanding ties with India and growing engagement with other major powers.

Bangladesh repaid 2.5 times the amount of foreign loans it received in July, the first month of the current fiscal year, as repayment pressure is gradually increasing with the grace periods on loans taken for mega projects expiring.

According to data released by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) yesterday, Bangladesh received $180.18 million in foreign loans in July. During the same month, it repaid $453.23 million to development partners in principal and interest on previous loans.

ERD data show that foreign loan disbursements stood at $208.04 million in July last year and disbursements this year were 13.39% lower.

Bangladesh repaid $446.68 million in foreign loans in July last year. Loan repayments this July, therefore, increased by nearly 4% year-on-year.

ERD officials said ministries and divisions remain busy at the beginning of a fiscal year determining implementation strategies and work plans for development projects. As a result, spending remains very low, which contributes to lower loan disbursements in July.

Officials also said development partners use this period to prepare their plans for the entire year. As a result, there is limited scope for large-scale disbursements from development partners during the first month of the fiscal year.

At the same time, as the grace periods on loans taken for mega projects expire, Bangladesh has to make substantial payments towards both principal and interest from the very beginning of the fiscal year.

According to ERD data, Bangladesh repaid $341.72 million in principal to development partners in July this year, compared with $327.72 million in July last year. However, interest payments declined slightly. The country paid $111.51 million in interest in July this year, compared with $118.96 million in the same month last year.

Meanwhile, commitments from development partners also declined sharply in July. Bangladesh received commitments worth only $14.05 million, down 83% from $83.46 million in the same month last year. However, the entire amount committed this July was in the form of grants.

ERD officials said the new government has introduced some changes in how foreign loans will be used for development projects. Projects that are considered to offer better value for money or economic returns will be prioritised for foreign financing.

The government is currently identifying such projects and preparing to begin negotiations with development partners. As a result, Bangladesh received relatively few commitments from development partners at the beginning of the fiscal year.

'It is too early to judge the full-year trend'

Dr Mustafa K Mujeri, Executive Director of the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM), said the current situation should be viewed in context.

"A new government has come in and it has been six months. The new fiscal year also began in July. It would not be realistic to expect everything to stabilise immediately or for the flow of funds to remain uniform throughout the year," he said.

He said negotiations with various development partners are time-consuming.

"In reality, these negotiations move forward gradually. Discussions with different donor agencies continue. Once individual agreements are finalised, large amounts of funding can come in at once. There are already several initiatives underway. If these are successfully completed and both sides reach an agreement, substantial funding could come in," he added.

Mujeri said Bangladesh is negotiating with not only the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), but also a number of bilateral and multilateral development partners.

"We may see many of these negotiations being finalised over the next six to nine months, with the terms and conditions agreed upon. Once the agreements are signed, the flow of funds could increase," he said.

Debt repayment pressure set to rise

Mujeri said the increase in debt repayments was both normal and expected.

"The amount of debt repayment is increasing. This is normal and expected because we borrowed a huge amount of money in the past, particularly to implement various mega projects. Those liabilities now have to be repaid, as many loans are now reaching maturity" he said.

He stressed that Bangladesh must therefore become more cautious about taking on new foreign debt.

"The burden has already increased, and it will rise further. So this is the time to set priorities for borrowing and invest in sectors that generate economic returns, so that the debt repayment burden remains manageable."

ADB largest source of July disbursements

According to ERD data, the Asian Development Bank was the largest source of foreign loan disbursements in July, providing $65.45 million.

Japan disbursed $38.66 million, the World Bank $47.53 million, and India $26.69 million during the month.

APM Terminals, a subsidiary of Danish shipping group AP Møller-Maersk, yesterday began construction of Laldia Container Terminal in Chattogram, a project expected to increase the capacity of Chattogram port and improve its efficiency of cargo handling.

The $550 million terminal, being built at Laldia Char near the mouth of the Karnaphuli river, is expected to open in 2030 and handle one million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year.
That would add nearly one-third to the country’s current container-handling capacity.“This would open a new horizon in logistics and trade facilities and support the country’s development,” Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said at the inauguration of the construction.

The minister said the project would be a significant milestone in the country’s journey towards a trillion-dollar economy by 2034.

Khosru said the government is also taking steps to develop other modern terminals, export processing zones and logistics facilities, including free trade zones, as part of efforts to turn Chattogram into a regional logistics hub.

Under a public-private partnership (PPP), APM Terminals will develop and operate the terminal under a design, build, finance, operate and transfer model.

It will run the facility for 30 years, with an option to extend the concession by a further 15 years.

The terminal will occupy 49.15 acres along the Karnaphuli river, APM Terminals Chief Executive Officer Romesh David said.

It will have a 616-metre jetty, seven ship-to-shore cranes, 32 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes and 41 electric terminal tractors, he said.

Romesh said the terminal would be a carbon-neutral, zero-emission port. It would also employ female crane operators for the first time in Bangladesh. “Young women from the Chittagong area will operate huge cranes remotely to move containers while sitting in an air-conditioned office.”

The project has been in the pipeline for several years. Bangladesh and Denmark signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2021 to facilitate co-operation on the project under the PPP framework.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and APM Terminals BV signed the final agreement on November 17 last year, paving the way for the terminal to be developed with 100 percent foreign investment.

The new facility will be able to handle vessels carrying up to 6,000 TEUs, roughly twice the capacity of ships that currently berth directly at Chattogram port, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman said.

He said the port’s existing capacity had already been exceeded. Container handling in Bangladesh roughly doubles every 10 years, underscoring the need for terminals closer to the sea.

The Laldia terminal will operate around the clock, making it the first terminal of its kind at the port, the CPA chairman said. It will be able to handle vessels up to 230 metres long with a draft of 10.5 metres.

Electric equipment and modern cargo-handling technology will support greener port operations. The ability to handle larger vessels directly is also expected to reduce waiting times for ships and speed up cargo movement at Bangladesh’s main seaport, he said.

Road Transport and Bridges, Railways, and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said the project would usher Bangladesh into a new era of investment, technology and modern terminal operations.

The terminal would also help Bangladesh develop expertise in modern container-terminal operations and advanced port technologies, Rabiul said.

Local company QNS Container Services Ltd is the local partner of APM Terminals in Laldia project.
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Jack Craig, global head (Business Administration) of APM Terminals BV, Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Christian Brix Moller and Shipping Secretary Zakaria also spoke at the event.

Bangladesh Bank posted a net profit of Tk25,977 crore in the 2025-26 financial year, up Tk3,357 crore from the previous fiscal year.

The central bank's net profit stood at Tk22,620 crore in FY25, according to its financial statements approved by the board of directors today (30 August).

The board meeting was held at Bangladesh Bank headquarters with Governor Mostaqur Rahman in the chair. The directors also approved an incentive bonus equivalent to six times the basic salary for central bank officials.

A senior Bangladesh Bank official told The Business Standard that generating profit is not the central bank's primary objective. Its core responsibilities include supervising the banking sector, controlling inflation, increasing private-sector investment and creating employment.

"The difficulties in the economy and banking sector are the reasons why Bangladesh Bank's profit has increased so much," the official said.

The official also cautioned that the central bank must ensure that its pursuit of profit does not divert it from its core responsibilities.

Despite a slowdown in the economy, Bangladesh Bank's lending and liquidity management activities remained strong during the fiscal year.

As banks faced liquidity shortages, several lenders borrowed more funds from Bangladesh Bank than in previous years, increasing the central bank's interest income, according to the official.

The central bank also earned substantial returns from investing its reserve funds in various countries, contributing to the rise in overall profit.

In FY24, Bangladesh Bank recorded a total profit of around Tk40,000 crore, including a net profit of Tk15,300 crore.

Bangladesh’s imports from India continue to rise despite restrictions imposed by both countries on the movement of some goods, while exports to the neighbouring country remained almost unchanged.

The country imported goods worth $10.96 billion from India in fiscal year 2025-26, up from $9.62 billion a year earlier, according to National Board of Revenue (NBR) data.

In contrast, exports to India stood at $1.75 billion in FY26, compared with $1.76 billion in the previous fiscal year.

The figures show that trade between the two neighbours has continued despite restrictions introduced over the past two years, particularly on the movement of goods through land ports.

Bangladeshi businesses say Indian yarn, cotton, fabrics and other industrial raw materials remain in demand because of their competitive rates, and because some international buyers specify particular fabrics or yarn from India.

After China, India is Bangladesh’s second-largest trading partner and the country’s largest trading partner in South Asia.

The trade gap between the two countries, however, remains wide, with Bangladesh importing more than six times as much from India as it exports to the country.

Businesses and economists say Bangladesh has scope to raise exports to India, but the country’s export basket remains heavily concentrated in apparel.

India granted Bangladesh duty-free market access in 2010, with one year of retrospective effect, for all products except 25 alcoholic and beverage items under the South Asian Free Trade Area’s (SAFTA) least developed country category.

Although exports have increased since then, the growth has not been enough to narrow the trade gap.

M Masrur Reaz, chairman of the Policy Exchange Bangladesh, said three factors are limiting Bangladesh’s exports to India.

“Firstly, India has its own import-substitute goods such as garments; secondly, India has a long list of standard requirements, and thirdly, both Bangladesh and India could not establish a regional value chain yet,” he said.

He suggested signing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries to expand bilateral trade.

The two countries have introduced a series of trade restrictions since the political changeover in Bangladesh in 2024.

In March 2025, Bangladesh’s commerce ministry asked the National Board of Revenue to take steps to restrict yarn imports through land ports to protect the local textile and spinning sector. In early April, India suspended a transhipment facility used by Bangladesh to send garments to third countries through Indian airports.

The NBR restricted yarn imports from India through land ports. Yarn imports from India are now allowed only through Chattogram port.

India later imposed restrictions on the import of garments, agro-processed food, jute goods, furniture and some other Bangladeshi goods through land ports.

Despite the restrictions, imports of Indian goods continued to rise.

Showkat Aziz Russell, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, said yarn imports from India doubled to around Tk 30,000 crore in FY26 from Tk 14,000 crore a year earlier.

“The higher import of yarn through the seaport is the real reflection of yarn imports from India. Because when yarn was allowed to be imported through the land ports, a lot of yarn used to be imported through informal channels, meaning it was smuggled in,” he said.

Russell said restrictions on yarn imports through land ports should not be lifted. He argued that local textile mills are facing higher production costs and competition from imported yarn.

Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said businesses have raised trade-related issues in different forums to increase exports to India.

He said Bangladesh should be able to export more goods through land ports and gain greater access to the Indian market.

Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the recent trade disputes have commercial implications but require a political solution.

“It needs a political solution from the top-level leaders of both countries,” Hatem said.

MA Razzaque, chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development, said the issue of land ports is part of a wider bilateral relationship.

“The land port is not an issue alone; it is a matter of a warm relationship between Bangladesh and India,” he said.

He said better bilateral relations could support stronger trade because both countries stood to gain from greater commercial engagement.

Md Abdul Wahed, former honorary joint secretary general of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said trade could increase if the movement of major goods through land ports resumes.

Md Fazlul Hoque, administrator of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, called for discussions between the two countries to ease trade rules.

Bangladesh must fix its worsening energy crisis and secure supplies to existing industries before courting new investment, business leaders and experts warned at a Dhaka seminar yesterday, cautioning that costly and unreliable energy is eroding industrial competitiveness.

They made the remarks at a seminar on “Bangladesh’s Energy Security Challenges: Powering a More Competitive Business Climate”, jointly organised by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and Policy Exchange of Bangladesh (PEB) at the MCCI office in Gulshan.

Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury, CEO of cement producer LafargeHolcim Bangladesh, urged the government to prioritise existing investors before seeking new ones.

“We have been spending so much time on seminars and programmes to invite new investors. My humble request to the current government is: please do not go for any new investor yet,” he said.

“First, come to the existing investors. First supply us properly, first make us happy, and then go for new investors. If you do not have the raw material, you cannot produce,” he added.

He called for a 20-year energy strategy, saying investors cannot plan around short-term policies. “Energy has to be sustainable, affordable and reliable.”

Fazlul Hoque, administrator of the country’s apex trade body, The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said he too had advised authorities not to seek new investment in the industrial sector until existing industries achieve stability.

“I am not an investment expert, but I have urged against new industrial investment and suggested exploring other sectors for investment,” he said. “If I cannot survive today, I don’t need to know what happens after 10 years. That’s the truth.”

Showkat Aziz Russell, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, said gas shortages had become a major problem for textile mills, many of which rely on captive power generation.

“My job is to flag the problem -- what went wrong, how we can fix it and what the interim policy should be. But the question is, are the policymakers listening to us?” he said.

Showkat complained that Bangladesh had failed to secure long-term energy contracts when prices were low, unlike India.

“We were happy buying gas at spot rates instead of going for long-term contracts,” he said, adding that the current situation was foreseeable.

He urged the government and experts to formulate an interim policy to keep industries running.

Ijaz Hossain, chairman of ESTex Foundation, a consultancy organisation specialising in industrial sustainability, said the energy crisis had gone beyond a supply problem and become an economic one.

“The number one problem we created for ourselves is that we did not price gas correctly,” he said, noting that industries once paid Tk 8 per cubic metre but now pay around Tk 40 while struggling to receive adequate supplies for the past three years.

“Who is going to, in their right mind, invest with this kind of gas situation?” he asked, calling for a comprehensive energy policy, greater use of renewables and realistic pricing.

Moynul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the crisis was threatening the industry’s survival.

“Throughout my career, I have failed to convince the government that gas is the raw material for ceramics. Without gas, you cannot produce ceramics,” he said.

“When factories start closing, the pressure will fall on the government, banks and ordinary people,” Moynul said.

Asif Ibrahim, vice chairman of apparel manufacturer New Age Group, said inadequate gas pressure was slowing production, delaying orders and hurting exports.

He urged the government to prioritise export-oriented industries and provide credible load-shedding schedules so factories can plan.

“The private sector is not asking for cheap energy. They are asking for competitive, transparent and predictable energy pricing,” Asif said.

He informed that his factory invested around Tk 3 crore to Tk 3.5 crore to install 566kW of rooftop solar, meeting about 25 percent of peak demand.

Yet, reliance on diesel remains costly and is further eroding competitiveness, he said.

M Masrur Reaz, chairman and CEO of PEB, described the energy crisis as the “number one constraint” on businesses and warned that it threatens growth and exports.

He said Bangladesh had faced energy problems for at least three years, largely due to domestic policy mismatches, but the situation had now become acute.

“Bangladesh needs short-term measures as well as medium- and long-term steps to build robust energy security,” Masrur said.

Farooq Ahmed, secretary general of MCCI, said factories were operating below capacity because of gas shortages and frequent power outages.

He said better management of the existing system alone could resolve nearly half of the problems.

The National Board of Revenue has instructed customs authorities across the country to stop unnecessary harassment in the name of examining import and export consignments and avoid delays in releasing goods, responding to a long-standing demand from businesses.

The revenue board issued the directive to officials of all customs houses yesterday (30 August), outlining 13 specific instructions to simplify customs procedures.

Business leaders have welcomed the move, saying effective implementation at the field level could bring significant improvements in the ease of doing business.

Under the directive, businesses will not be required to submit documents beyond those stipulated under NBR rules. Documents submitted online will also not have to be submitted manually again.

Customs officials have been instructed not to send documents of low-risk consignments to senior officials unnecessarily unless there is a specific instruction from the authority.

A consignment should not undergo multiple physical examinations unless there is concrete information indicating duty evasion. Consignments should instead be selected for examination based on revenue risks, while the results of physical inspections should be used to determine whether further examination is necessary.

The directive also calls for avoiding unnecessary steps in customs assessment and coordinating with intelligence agencies to prevent repeated examinations.

Customs authorities have additionally been instructed to strengthen monitoring to prevent congestion at ports, expedite auction procedures and protect government revenue.

Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said effective implementation of the instructions could significantly improve the business environment and reduce costs.

"We have been raising these issues for a long time. If the NBR's decision is implemented at customs houses, genuine importers and exporters will benefit," he told TBS.

However, he cautioned that there is often a significant gap between decisions taken at the NBR's top level and their implementation by field officials.

"Many good initiatives fail to be properly implemented because of non-cooperation and bribe-seeking by field-level officials, particularly those at lower levels," Hatem said.

He said compliant businesses often face difficulties over minor mistakes, while unscrupulous traders manage to evade scrutiny. "Strict action must be taken against those who engage in irregularities."

However, NBR officials said implementing the new instructions with existing capacity could be difficult and might create risks for revenue collection.

A senior Chattogram Customs House official, speaking to TBS on condition of anonymity, said the directive appeared to be based on an overly simplified view of the situation.

"The field reality is not that simple," he said.

He said the ASYCUDA World software used to identify risk criteria for consignments is not properly implemented at customs houses other than Chattogram Custom House.

"This needs to be ensured at all customs houses first. But the directive has overlooked this issue," he said.

US ambassador to India and special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs Sergio Gor has said Bangladesh has committed billions of dollars to buy additional Boeing aircraft from the United States under a new deal between Dhaka and Washington.

In a post on X last night (30 August), Gor said US President Donald Trump and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had reached an "incredible Deal" under which Bangladesh would significantly increase its initial order for Boeing aircraft.

"Just this week, President Trump and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh made another incredible Deal, with Bangladesh committing to spend Billions of Dollars to buy more Boeing Aircraft, significantly increasing their initial order," Gor said.

President Trump is the Greatest JOBS President in American History. He works tirelessly every day to create millions of high-paying Jobs, drive Trillions of Dollars in Investment, and reinvigorate our Economy. Just this week, President Trump and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh…

However, Gor did not specify the number or models of aircraft involved, the total value of the reported commitment or whether a purchase agreement had been formally signed.

The US envoy's statement came nearly a month after his three-day official visit to Bangladesh from 30 July to 1 August. During the visit, he met senior government officials and discussed bilateral relations, trade and economic issues.

Bangladesh had previously increased its planned purchase of Boeing aircraft from 14 to 25 in July 2025 amid trade negotiations with the Trump administration.

The aircraft were planned for Biman Bangladesh Airlines as part of efforts to modernise and expand the national flag carrier's fleet.

Gor's latest post suggests the planned order could now be expanded further, although neither the Bangladesh government nor Boeing has so far publicly disclosed details of the reported new commitment.

Standing in a soybean field in Finley, Tennessee, Stefan Maupin sees far more than a crop ready for harvest. Her family has farmed the land for four generations, and she now manages nearly 1,000 acres of soybeans.

Yet the journey of those beans extends far beyond this farm.

From seed selection and breeding to precision farming, research, quality testing, storage and transportation, every stage is part of an integrated system designed to deliver a consistent product to buyers around the world.

Some of those soybeans may eventually travel thousands of kilometres to Bangladesh, where they are crushed into soybean oil and meal, with the meal becoming a key protein ingredient for poultry, livestock and aquaculture feed.

That farm-to-global-market journey was among the key lessons from a recent US Soybean Export Council (USSEC)-organised visit to soybean farms, research centres and supply-chain facilities in Tennessee, Arkansas and Illinois.

The visit, organised around Soy Connext 2026 in Chicago, offered a look beyond conference rooms into how the US soybean industry combines research, genetics, technology, farming, logistics and sustainability to build value around what is otherwise a global commodity.

Increasingly, the US industry is trying to convince buyers that the value of American soybeans cannot be measured by price alone.

For Bangladesh, the lessons are particularly relevant as the US rapidly expands its role as the country's leading soybean supplier.

USSEC said Bangladesh purchased 1.13 million tonnes of US soybeans in the marketing year 2025-26 through 5 February 2026. In November 2025, five major Bangladeshi companies also committed to buying US soybeans and soybean meal worth $1.25 billion over 12 months.

The farm is the beginning of a global chain

At Maupin's Tennessee farm, technology is embedded in almost every stage of production.

Modern machinery handles planting, crop management and harvesting across hundreds of acres, while data and field-level monitoring help farmers make decisions about crop performance and quality.

Maupin said technology is helping farmers maintain both quality and sustainability.

The system does not end when the crop leaves the field. Soybeans are tested, stored and transported through an extensive network designed to preserve quality until they reach domestic processors or international customers.

That network is one of the US industry's biggest competitive advantages. The Mississippi River provides a major artery for moving agricultural commodities from the country's interior to export terminals. Soybeans can travel from farms and grain elevators through inland waterways before being loaded for international markets.

For global buyers, the value of US Soy therefore begins not only with the bean itself but with the ability to deliver it consistently.

Todd Main, director of market development at USSEC, said reliability is one of the fundamental advantages of US Soy.

"If customers need soybeans, we can deliver them any time of the year," he said, pointing to the country's extensive transportation network linking farms, elevators, railways, waterways, export terminals and international shipping routes.

For feed manufacturers, reliability can be economically important. A disruption in soybean supplies can affect feed production, poultry prices and aquaculture operations.

USSEC therefore increasingly positions US Soy around reliability, nutritional value, sustainability and traceability, alongside price.

The farmer is part of the research system

The Illinois visit provided another perspective on how farmers create value.

Bryan Siebers, chairman of Illinois Soybean Association District 7 and a multi-generation soybean farmer, described farming as a responsibility passed from one generation to the next.

His family pays close attention to machinery cleaning, varietal purity, soil health and crop management. Cover crops are used to support soil health, while crop-protection decisions are carefully managed.

For Siebers, sustainability is not simply a certification or marketing exercise. It is about ensuring that the next generation inherits productive farmland.

He also highlighted a growing challenge for US agriculture: productive farmland is gradually being converted into warehouses, industrial facilities, roads and other infrastructure.

At the same time, farmers are developing closer relationships with international buyers through identity-preserved systems.

Specialty or non-GMO soybeans can be kept separate from other varieties from harvest through storage and transportation, allowing buyers to trace the product more closely to its origin. That is changing the traditional commodity relationship.

Instead of an anonymous shipment entering a global trading system, farmers can increasingly know where their soybeans are going and what type of customer is buying them.

For international food and feed companies, traceability can provide greater confidence over origin, handling and quality.

In Arkansas, the farm is also a seed laboratory

The integration of farming and research is particularly visible at Eagle Seed, a family-owned seed company in Weiner, Arkansas.

Established in 1975 and led by farmer and seedsman Brad Doyle, Eagle Seed combines commercial farming with its own breeding and seed-development programme.

The company develops and tests soybean varieties for higher yields, stress tolerance, biomass and other characteristics, working with more than 30 universities and industry organisations.

Rather than simply purchasing seed developed elsewhere, the company participates directly in developing and testing new genetics.

That creates another layer of value for American agriculture.

A farmer can earn not only from the crop harvested from the field but also from the development, multiplication and commercialisation of superior seed varieties.

The model shows how genetics has become an economic asset in modern US agriculture. Better genetics can mean higher yields, stronger resilience and greater value from every acre, while successful breeding can create an additional business around seed development.

Technology is changing the economics of farming

The US farms visited during the trip showed that mechanisation is only one part of the technology story.

Farmers increasingly use data to determine when to plant, how much seed to use, where to apply crop nutrients and how to manage pests and diseases.

Precision technology allows farmers to make decisions at a much more detailed level than was possible in previous generations.

This is important as input costs rise and environmental pressure increases.

The goal is not necessarily to use more fertiliser, pesticides or water, but to use them more efficiently.

That creates a direct connection between profitability and sustainability. If farmers can produce more from the same land while reducing unnecessary inputs, both their margins and environmental performance can improve.

Sustainability becomes part of the product

Sustainability was a recurring theme throughout the farm and research visits. USSEC increasingly presents sustainability not simply as an environmental obligation but as part of the commercial value of US Soy.

The organisation's Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol allows international buyers to verify that US Soy has been produced under defined sustainability criteria.

USSEC reported that 71% of US Soy exports in 2025 were shipped with SSAP certification.

For global food companies, sustainability credentials are becoming increasingly important as consumers and businesses demand greater transparency about agricultural supply chains.

The US soybean industry is therefore trying to build a product that can compete on several dimensions simultaneously: quality, nutritional performance, reliability, sustainability and traceability.

The next soybean is being developed in laboratories

Perhaps the most important lesson from the US soybean industry is that productivity gains are being pursued not only in fields but also in research laboratories and experimental plots.

Researchers across Tennessee, Arkansas and Illinois are working to develop soybean varieties that can produce higher yields while maintaining nutritional quality and tolerating drought, flooding, pests and diseases.

At the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, researchers are using breeding and advanced genetic tools to develop varieties adapted to local conditions.

Timothy N. Burcham, director of the university's Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, said the programme produces around 200 soybean crosses a year, generating roughly 20,000 genetic combinations for evaluation.

The research includes flood tolerance, a particularly important area as farmers face increasingly unpredictable weather.

One variety, R19C-1035, averaged 66.1 bushels per acre between 2020 and 2025 and demonstrated a significant yield advantage over check varieties under flooding conditions, according to research presented during the visit.

The work illustrates how modern soybean breeding is moving beyond simply maximising yield.

At Agricenter International in Memphis, the connection between research and commercial agriculture becomes even clearer.

The facility has a 1,000-acre research farm, including around 600 acres of research land, and conducts more than 250 trials annually for more than 80 companies.

The trials cover soybean varieties, irrigation, crop nutrition, biostimulants, crop protection and other agricultural technologies.

Ashley Barth, associate director of Agricenter International, said the US soybean sector is combining traditional breeding and field trials with genomics and precision technologies to improve productivity and sustainability.

The objective, she said, is not simply to produce more soybeans, but to develop varieties that deliver better nutritional characteristics, withstand climate and disease pressures, use resources more efficiently and ultimately improve farm profitability.

Agricenter effectively acts as a bridge between researchers, technology companies and farmers.

New varieties and technologies can be tested under real Mid-South growing conditions before farmers adopt them commercially. That model helps shorten the distance between scientific research and practical farming.

Bangladesh: more than a soybean market

Bangladesh is already a major destination for US Soy, but the opportunity extends beyond imports.

The country's poultry, livestock and aquaculture sectors are expanding, creating sustained demand for soybean meal as a major protein source in feed.

USSEC's $1.25 billion purchase commitment with Bangladeshi companies last year underlined the scale of the market. Meghna Group of Industries, City Group, Delta Agrofood Industries, Mahbub Group and KGS Group were among the companies involved.

Md Mohammad Sameer Haque, director of Delta Agro Industries, was among the Bangladeshi business representatives who visited US farms and research facilities.

"The quality of US soy is better than others. Their research and sustainability practices are exceptional," he said.

Mosaraff Hossain, chairman of Asta Feed Mills, said Bangladesh should similarly look beyond simply importing soybeans and focus on learning from the systems and technologies that make the US soybean industry competitive.

"The US experience shows how research, farming, technology, logistics, sustainability and business can work together to build a globally competitive agricultural value chain," he said.

For Bangladesh, he said, the priority should be to adapt those lessons to local conditions and strengthen the ecosystem around seed development, agricultural research, feed production, aquaculture and sustainable farming.

Labour rights experts have called on the authorities to ensure a transparent, predictable and time-bound trade union registration process in line with existing labour law.

They also warned that delays and additional administrative requirements could undermine workers' freedom of association.

The call came at a stakeholders' experience-sharing meeting on recent amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, organised by Solidarity Center in Dhaka yesterday (30 August).

At the meeting, labour leaders alleged that officials of the labour department under the labour and employment ministry were delaying union registration and demanding bribes.

AKM Nasim, country programme director of Solidarity Center, presented the keynote paper, which reviewed several registration cases and found significant delays between application submission and acceptance.

Rashadul Alam Raju, general secretary of Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers' Union Federation, said online submission had become "a new hassle" as applications remain pending on the server for months.

Labour leader Kamrul Hasan said his organisation had submitted six applications for trade union registration over the past three months, but none had been approved. Referring to a Labour Department official by name, he alleged that the official openly demanded bribes.

"The longer the process takes, the higher the amount of the bribe becomes," he said.

Several other labour leaders also raised similar allegations against labour department officials.

Labour leader Nahidul Islam Nayan alleged that even instructions from the department's director general and the labour ministry secretary were not being followed by officials.

Nazma Akter, executive director of Awaj Foundation, said the general secretary of a proposed trade union was called by the industrial police and asked to meet the officer-in-charge. The union was later approved following pressure from the buyer, she added.

Jamil Ansar, senior programme officer at the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh, said the maximum punishment currently faced by labour department officials for misconduct was transfer from one office to another.

He urged labour leaders to raise their concerns collectively and make their voices heard.

Nasim's paper also raised concerns over the labour department's apparent practice of requiring employer certification of the total number of workers as a mandatory document for every application.

The paper cited the experience of Libas Knitwear Ltd Sramik Union, which submitted its application on 25 November 2025, but the department formally accepted it only on 27 February 2026—a delay of about 95 days.

The government repaid nearly three times more in foreign loans than it received in July, mainly due to lower loan disbursements.

According to data from the Economic Relations Division (ERD), the government repaid $453 million in principal and interest on foreign loans in July, compared with $446 million in the same month last year.

Meanwhile, it received $180 million in foreign loans in the seventh month of the year, down from $208 million in the same month the previous year.

Fresh loan disbursements also fell a massive 83 percent year-on-year to $14 million in July. Of the total disbursement, the Asian Development Bank provided $65 million, the World Bank $47 million, Japan $39 million and India $27 million.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has formed a Tk 2,000 crore revolving pre-financing fund to support the frozen food industry, particularly shrimp and fish exporters, and help businesses cater to international markets.

The fund will provide financing at a maximum interest rate of 7 percent, while participating banks will receive funds from the central bank at 4 percent interest.

The initiative comes as exports of frozen and live fish rose marginally in fiscal year 2025-26, while exports of shrimp, the main export item, fell nearly 4 percent year-on-year to $286 million.

The low-cost financing is aimed at easing key financial constraints facing the export-oriented frozen food sector, including long cash-conversion cycles, high inventory costs, expensive cold-chain operations and limited access to affordable financing, according to a Bangladesh Bank circular issued yesterday.

The three-year fund will operate on a revolving basis. All scheduled banks operating in Bangladesh will be eligible to participate, subject to signing an agreement with Bangladesh Bank’s Agricultural Credit Department-2.

The facility will support the production, collection, processing and export of frozen shrimp, fish and other frozen food products. Financing can also be used to purchase raw materials, expand or modernise factories, buy machinery and set up cold-storage facilities.

It will also cover the reopening of closed or partially operational fish and food-processing factories, solar power projects and environmental remediation, including soil reclamation.

For new factories, banks can provide term loans for up to seven years, including a maximum one-year grace period. For the renovation, expansion and modernisation of existing facilities, the maximum loan tenure will be five years, also including a one-year grace period.

Working-capital loans can be provided for one year and renewed once, with a borrower eligible for the facility for a maximum of two years.

Under the scheme, new frozen-food factories will be eligible for term loans of up to Tk 30 crore, while existing processors can receive up to Tk 20 crore for renovation, expansion and modernisation.

Businesses can also obtain up to Tk 5 crore, or 30 percent of the main project loan, whichever is lower, for installing solar panels.

Working-capital loans for raw materials, production, wages and utility bills will be determined based on annual turnover, subject to a maximum of Tk 20 crore.

Banks have been instructed to prioritise frozen-food exporters whose factories are fully or partly closed because of working-capital shortages.

However, firms already receiving financing under other Bangladesh Bank or government schemes for the same purpose will not qualify. Classified loan defaulters will also be excluded.

Bangladesh Bank will provide pre-financing to participating banks, but lenders will bear the full credit risk and remain responsible for loan recovery. Banks that fail to repay the pre-financed amount on time will face an additional 2 percent interest for the delayed period.

Banks must monitor loan utilisation and inspect borrowers’ factories or offices every quarter.

Beneficiaries must also take steps to meet at least 15 percent of their electricity needs from solar power within two years. Non-compliance may result in the suspension of further financing.

The scheme aims to diversify exports, boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs and expand rural economic activity.

Padma Islami Life Insurance's life fund deficit widened to Tk327.20 crore as of 30 June 2026, highlighting the insurer's fragile financial position and keeping its stock in the "Z" category.

According to a price-sensitive statement filed with the Dhaka Stock Exchange today (30 August), the insurer posted a deficit of Tk8.51 crore in its life revenue account during January-June 2026, a significant improvement from the Tk15 crore deficit recorded in the same period a year earlier.

Despite the narrower six-month deficit, the insurer's cumulative losses continued to erode its life fund, pushing the balance further into negative territory. The life fund deficit stood at Tk327.20 crore at the end of June 2026, compared with Tk307 crore a year earlier.

The insurer's financial performance also remained under pressure in the April-June quarter. During the three months, expenses and claims exceeded income by Tk3.56 crore, although this was lower than the Tk6.53 crore deficit recorded in the same quarter of the previous year.

The continued deterioration in the insurer's financial position also weighed on investor sentiment. Padma Life's share price fell 2.35% to Tk16.60 on Sunday.

The company's weak financial position has also kept shareholders from receiving returns. Its board has recommended no dividend for 2025, meaning the insurer will make no distribution to shareholders for the year.

Padma Life has not paid any dividend since 2021, when it declared a 2% cash dividend.

The insurer, which was listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange in 2012, saw its financial position deteriorate sharply after S Alam Group took over the company in 2018. Since then, mounting deficits, persistent financial weakness and governance concerns have pushed the insurer into the "Z" category.

The company is scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting on 17 September at Padma Life Tower in Dhaka, where shareholders will consider the company's financial performance and the board's dividend recommendation.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) started the week on a bearish note today (30 August), as widespread selling pressure across major sectors dragged its benchmark indices lower.

The broad-based DSEX index fell 41.39 points, or 0.73%, to close at 5,614.28, as investors continued to offload shares amid concerns over the impact of the ongoing energy crisis and persistent domestic economic headwinds on corporate earnings.

The Shariah-compliant DSES index declined 4.42 points, or 0.39%, to 1,128.12, while the blue-chip DS30 index dropped 12.66 points, or 0.59%, to 2,122.23, according to DSE data.

Despite the fall in indices, market turnover increased 11% to Tk518.03 crore, with 1.63 lakh trades executed involving more than 18.98 crore shares.

Market capitalisation declined by Tk1,477 crore to Tk6.96 lakh crore as prices of most listed shares fell.

Of the total market capitalisation, equity securities accounted for Tk3.49 lakh crore, while debt securities, mainly Treasury bills and bonds, accounted for Tk3.43 lakh crore.

The latest decline came after a sharp sell-off last week. Over the four trading sessions, the DSEX lost 130 points, or 2.25%, while total turnover fell 49% to Tk2,286 crore. Average daily turnover also declined 36.88% during the week.

In the previous week's four trading sessions, the DSEX fell 130 points, or 2.25%, with total turnover declining by 49% to Tk2,286 crore, while the average daily market turnover dropped by 36.88%.

DSE data showed market breadth was heavily negative, as prices for nearly 79% of traded stocks declined. A total of 392 issues were traded on the DSE, of which 309 declined, 49 advanced, and 34 remained unchanged.

EBL Securities in its daily market commentary said, the downbeat capital market endured wave of heavy selling in the opening session of the week, defying the brief recovery effort in the previous session, as concerns over a potential downturn in corporate earnings amid persistent domestic headwinds kept investors largely on the sidelines and weighed on overall market sentiment.

"From the outset of the session, the broad index remained on a downward trajectory; although the market attempted to recover in mid-session, widespread risk aversion and persistent late-session selling pressure dragged the index further into negative territory," it said.

On the sectoral front, Textile sector stocks accounted for the highest share of turnover by 31%, followed by General Insurance by 10% and Bank 9.5%.

Almost all the sectors posted negative returns, where Mutual Fund, Services and Ceramic exhibited the most corrections, while only Jute, Travel and Engineering sector stocks exhibited the highest returns on the bourse.

In terms of individual stock movements, the day's trading session saw selective interest in textile, insurance, and manufacturing equities, while mutual funds dominated the losers' list.

Saiham Cotton and Saiham Textile emerged as the top gainers of the day, alongside Sena Insurance, Monno Fabrics, and Sonali Aansh surged despite the wider market downturn.

Conversely, investor sentiment remained heavily subdued toward the mutual fund sector, with EXIM Bank 1st Mutual Fund, PF 1st Mutual Fund, AIBL 1st Islamic Mutual Fund, and ICB AMCL Second Mutual Fund leading the loser board alongside medical equipment supplier JMI Syringes and Medical Devices.

The port city bourse, CSE, ended in negative terrain. The Selective Categories' Index (CSCX) and All Share Price Index (CASPI) lost 55.6 points and 75.3 points, respectively.

There is a simple question worth asking about Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG, the firms we call the “Big Four”. How have they lasted this long? Deloitte goes back to the 1840s. They have outlived empires, wars and currency collapses. Most companies do not survive a century. These four have thrived for the better part of two, and today employ around 1.5 million people globally and make more than $200 billion.

The reason, in my view, is not their size. It is their willingness to keep changing what they sell. They began as bookkeepers, became auditors, then tax advisers, then consultants, and today they are, in large part, technology firms. Through all of it, they have guarded one thing above all else: trust. That kind of trust is slow to build and very hard to copy, and it is the real product they sell. It also explains why their arrival or departure matters greatly for business.

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Risk is the other half of the story. A firm that vouches for other people’s numbers must manage its own with the same care. One bad audit, or one conflict of interest left unchecked, and a brand built over a century can disappear in no time. So, these firms have wrapped themselves in layers of protection: strict rules that keep their auditors independent, constant internal quality reviews, and walls between one service line and the next. Helping a bank or company understand the risks it is actually running, across its loan book, supply chain, computer systems and legal dealings, has become one of their largest lines of work.

Take technology, where they are growing fastest. As banks, factories and government offices move online, the ‘Big Four’ have moved with them, installing enterprise software such as SAP and Oracle, upgrading core banking systems, shifting operations to the cloud, building cyber defences and advising on digital government. In this work, they behave more like engineers than auditors, building controls into the systems the economy runs on. To my mind, the most exciting area is data and analytics. Analytics tools, automation, and now artificial intelligence are changing how businesses operate, how fraud is caught and how decisions are made.

Away from the headlines, these firms help with Basel and IFRS 9 rules, insurance and non-bank finance. They advise on restructuring weak institutions, carry out actuarial work for insurers and help firms raise money. They also work with regulators on supervising a modern financial system, and with boards and audit committees meant to hold banks in check.

Assurance is the oldest of these services, and goes beyond signing off annual accounts. They help companies report under financial reporting standards, carry out internal audits and provide independent assurance over sustainability and other non-financial information.

In management consulting, they advise governments and large companies on reform and strategy. This includes modernising tax and revenue collection, structuring public-private partnerships, turning around loss-making state enterprises and redesigning how organisations operate. Their deals teams handle: financial and tax due diligence, independent valuations, advice on mergers and acquisitions, and support for companies raising money through share flotations or bond issues. On ESG, they build sustainability reporting frameworks, provide assurance over the results, and advise banks and exporters on climate risk and green finance.

No one really buys a logo anymore. Clients want value-driven service, trust and hard-won experience, and that is what the “Big Four” bring to the table. The brand may open the door, but it is the substance behind it that keeps them going.

The writer is an economic analyst and founding managing partner of PwC, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is yet to see recovery in investor confidence even though the current government has taken some good initiatives to improve the business environment and encourage investment.

Without investment revival, the economy, which has been suffering from sluggish growth for the last four years, will struggle to gain momentum, said Birupaksha Paul, a professor of economics at the State University of New York in Cortland, US.

In an interview with The Daily Star recently, he said Bangladesh needs stronger institutions and political inclusivity for a manufacturing revival to put the economy back on the growth path.

As the government marked six months in office, he said weak domestic and foreign investment, factory closures and growing frustration among young people show that the economy is yet to regain confidence.

“Neither foreign direct investment nor domestic investment has shown an exponential rise. Without a significant increase in investment, Bangladesh will struggle to achieve the growth required to become a trillion-dollar economy,” said the economics professor.

Stating that growth fell to 3.49 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2025 and stood at 4.14 percent in the following year, Birupaksha noted that a minimal recovery would largely represent a rebound from a weak base.

CONFIDENCE IS THE MISSING LINK

For Birupaksha, who is also a former chief economist at the Bangladesh Bank, the problem is not simply the cost or availability of credit. Investment depends heavily on confidence -- what economist John Maynard Keynes described as ‘animal spirits’.

“That confidence is missing,” he said.

When businesses are uncertain about demand, policy direction, political stability or the investment climate, they postpone expansion. An investor may have financing but still decide not to build a factory, expand production or hire workers.

Birupaksha pointed to the early 1990s as an example of how reform can change economic expectations. After the BNP came to power in 1991, bank privatisation, reforms in hospitals and universities, VAT and the rapid expansion of mobile phones helped reshape economic activity.

“That reform momentum is not visible today,” he said.

POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY DELAYS INVESTMENT

Birupaksha believes political inclusivity is also necessary to restore investor confidence.

“Wrongdoers must be punished,” he said, stressing that every political party has people who commit wrongdoing.

He said if businesses remain unsure about the political and economic environment, they are likely to delay major investment decisions. That is why political accommodation cannot simply be postponed until the end of the government’s five-year term. “It has to begin now.”

FACTORY CLOSURES DEEPEN CRISIS

Hundreds of factories have closed, and workers have lost their jobs in recent years, according to Birupaksha.

“Being unemployed is one kind of pain. But once you are employed and then lose your job, that pain is 10 times greater,” he said.

The employment challenge is becoming more urgent as around 22 to 23 lakh young people enter the labour market every year. The government cannot employ everyone, Birupaksha said, and cannot even provide jobs to one lakh people directly.
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That leaves private investment and business expansion as the main mechanisms for absorbing new workers. But businesses cannot create jobs on a large scale without investing.

The economist questioned the government’s emphasis on services. A healthy economy, he argued, first develops strong manufacturing and then expands services around that productive base.

“You cannot build a service economy without a manufacturing base,” he said. A stronger service economy should grow around productive industries through logistics, finance, transportation, trade, exports and imports.

Birupaksha noted that China and Vietnam have demonstrated the importance of manufacturing, while Bangladesh still has factories that have not reopened. The government’s employment target will be difficult to achieve when a large share of jobs is expected to come from services. He described the strategy as ‘impractical’.

BANKS AND INSTITUTIONS NEED REFORM

Banks should primarily provide working capital to SMEs, startups and the creative economy.

Calling for institutional reforms, Birupaksha recommended that revenue collection be separated from the finance ministry and placed under a new ‘Ministry of Revenue’.

He also suggested separating the Planning Commission from the planning ministry.

Greater autonomy for the Bangladesh Bank would help prevent excessive fiscal pressure on monetary policy, he added. “Sometimes you need to lose power to be strong.”

INVESTMENT BEFORE GROWTH TARGET

Birupaksha also questioned whether Covid-19 can still explain Bangladesh’s economic weakness. The pandemic caused severe supply disruptions, but he said it cannot account for all of the country’s continuing problems.

A temporary GDP rebound will not be enough if businesses remain reluctant to invest, factories continue to close and young people struggle to find productive employment.

Investment is the bridge between economic recovery and sustainable growth, stated Birupaksha.

The economist, therefore, sees political inclusivity, institutional independence and manufacturing revival as parts of the same investment challenge.

“If you do not create an environment of inclusivity, you will have problems on the investment front,” he said.

For Bangladesh, the real test of recovery is not simply whether growth returns, but whether investors regain the confidence to invest for the future, he added.

President Donald Trump said Friday his administration has reached a huge oil deal with Venezuela that gives the United States majority control of 65 billion barrels of proven petroleum reserves.

The deal -- which Trump proclaimed as “the biggest oil deal in world history” -- will bring nearly $100 billion in private investment to Venezuela, US and Venezuelan officials said.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves. Its government has operated under intense pressure and close scrutiny from the Trump administration since the US ousted and captured long time ruler Nicolas Maduro in January.

Washington allowed his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, to stay on and serve as interim leader so long as she toes the US line. Trump has made no secret of his desire to secure Venezuelan oil for the US, and in his post announcing the deal on his Truth Social platform, he said it will more than double US oil reserves.

Interim leader Rodriguez confirmed what she called a “historic agreement” that would “have a significant impact on the rebirth of our nation.”

Writing on social media, she hailed potential investment of “more than $100 billion and more than $209 billion in tax revenue for the State.”

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reached the deal with Rodriguez “through a partnership with private business.”

“This Transaction will greatly strengthen the already growing relationship between Venezuela and the United States!” Trump wrote.

Rubio said the deal demonstrated how “President Trump’s bold foreign policy is driving America First wins: securing stable reserves and low-cost oil in our Hemisphere and lowering gas prices here at home.”

“For the Venezuelan people, this deal will bring nearly $100 billion in private investment, support thousands of high-paying jobs, and drive the reconstruction of Venezuela’s economy,” Rubio wrote on X, without providing further details.

Jorge Pinon, a senior researcher at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, said the agreement was unconventional and many questions remained about how the oil assets would be transferred, “not to a private enterprise, but to another country.”

“We don’t know how the transfer would take place,” he said. “Is it a sale? Is it a title transfer? Is it only transferred once the reserves are actually produced?”

The news site Axios had reported Thursday that the two countries were in talks on a dozen productive oil fields with 90 billion barrels of proven reserves -- about a third of Venezuela’s total proven reserves of 300 billion barrels.

In return for a US ownership stake, private companies, including American firms, would develop the fields and return more oil revenue to Venezuela, according to Axios.

Axios also said the deal would more than double US oil reserves at a time when the US strategic petroleum reserve is at a 40-year low.

High gasoline prices for Americans is a major political issue for Trump, whose approval ratings have fallen ahead of November’s midterm elections after launching a war on Iran that has disrupted global oil supplies.

The Trump administration has been urging US companies to invest in Venezuela, but they remain wary due to dilapidated infrastructure and past appropriation of assets of foreign investors by the government in Caracas.

Chevron, the only US oil company that was still operating in Venezuela when Maduro was ousted, said in July that it had raised its daily crude production to 280,000 barrels and plans to increase output by 50 percent by the end of 2028.

John Kilduff, energy expert at Again Capital, said the biggest problem for companies to operate in Venezuela is “the safety and security of your investment.”

He said if the US is now going to control or own the oil fields, the goal would be “to establish a sort of state zone where US companies can go in, operate, and not be impacted, and hopefully eliminate the political risk that otherwise goes with investing in Venezuela.”