Breaking news, industry insights, policy updates, and market intelligence on Bangladesh's export economy — RMG, pharmaceuticals, leather, jute, agriculture, and emerging sectors. Curated for trade professionals, exporters, buyers, and policymakers.
⭐ Featured Story
💼 Investment & FDI
FICCI President Rupali Chowdhury has called for predictable policies, better logistics, and reliable energy to attract FDI, revealing Bangladesh's FDI-to-GDP ratio is just 0.29% compared to Vietnam's 4.23%. FICCI targets $15 billion annual FDI by 2030.
📊 Economy & Finance
Anis Ahmed, founder and Group CEO of Singapore-based MGH Group operating in 26 countries, has been elected Chairman of Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) effective July 27, 2026. He previously served on EBL's Executive Committee and as Chairman of its Risk Management Committee.
📊 Economy & Finance
⚡ Breaking Bangladesh Bank loans tied up under court stay orders jumped eightfold to Tk 182,419 crore by end-2025, with the number of cases rising from 226 to 845 in three years. Bankers and CPD warn of strategic defaulters exploiting legal loopholes to block recovery.
🚢 Logistics & Shipping
Biman Bangladesh Airlines resumed direct Dhaka-Narita flights on July 27, 2026, after a suspension of more than a year. Civil Aviation Minister Afroza Khanam inaugurated the service, which serves approximately 45,000 Bangladeshi expatriates in Japan and supports bilateral trade and investment ties.
📊 Economy & Finance
Bangladesh received $2.437 billion in workers' remittances in the first 26 days of July 2026, registering 26.1% year-on-year growth, Bangladesh Bank data shows. Expatriates sent $138 million on July 26 alone, supporting forex reserves and external sector stability.
📊 Economy & Finance
Dhaka Bank PLC has signed a credit guarantee agreement with PKSF under the ADB-supported Credit Enhancement Scheme. The partnership will enable Tk 2,800 crore in guaranteed loans to marginal, cottage, and micro enterprises across Bangladesh in FY2026-27.
📊 Economy & Finance
⚡ Breaking Experts at an MCCI-PEB roundtable warned that 75-80% of Bangladesh bank lending flows to corporates, leaving SMEs underserved. BRAC Bank's Syed Abdul Momen cited data showing unsecured SME loans (2% NPL) outperform collateral-backed loans (7% NPL), challenging collateral-focused lending culture.
📊 Economy & Finance
⚡ Breaking Bangladesh Bank reports full-fledged Islamic banks NPL ratio surged to 58.4% in March 2026 from 29.2% a year earlier, while fourth-generation banks hit 52.2%. ADRs of 120.3% for Islamic banks and 101.6% for 4th-gen banks raise systemic risk warnings.
🌏 Diplomacy & Trade Missions
⚡ Breaking China firmly opposes new US forced labour tariffs of 10% and 12.5% imposed on 60 trading partners including Bangladesh (10%) and China (12.5%). Beijing calls the move unilateralism and protectionism, urges Washington to remove the measures.
⚖️ Policy & Regulation
The National Board of Revenue targets Tk 2.57 lakh crore VAT for FY2026-27, banking on four pillars: compliance gap reduction (Tk 38,000cr), economic growth (Tk 20,000cr), ADP implementation (Tk 15,000cr), and tobacco sector monitoring (Tk 12,000cr).
⚖️ Policy & Regulation
Bangladesh's energy sector has become a macroeconomic threat with import bills surging from $4.3B to $11.2B and subsidies absorbing 22% of tax revenue, according to PRI's Sadiq Ahmed. He proposes six bold reforms including deregulation, corporatisation, and depoliticised pricing.
🚢 Logistics & Shipping
⚡ Breaking Houthi attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu have slowed Red Sea shipping, with only 11 vessels passing through Bab el-Mandeb on Sunday. Crude cargo prices jumped to two-month highs. Strait of Hormuz traffic also remained low despite US-Iran strike pause.
🚢 Logistics & Shipping
⚡ Breaking Oil prices tumbled Monday as a US-Iran strike pause boosted hopes for Hormuz reopening. Brent crude dropped below $90/barrel after shedding 7%. Bangladesh stands to benefit from reduced energy import costs and stabilising Middle East shipping.