Big firms look overseas as local credit costs too much
17 July 2026, 00:00 AM
As local borrowing costs hover high, some of the country’s largest conglomerates are turning to foreign lenders for financing, and Bangladesh Bank (BB) is moving on multiple fronts to make that path easier.
17 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Dollar hits Tk 123 in inter-bank trade
14 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Banks are now trading the US dollar between Tk 122.70 and Tk 123.75
14 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Dollar hits Tk 123 in inter-bank trade
13 July 2026, 22:50 PM
The US dollar has climbed to Tk 123 in the inter-bank market as stronger demand for foreign currency coincides with slower inflows of remittances and export earnings
13 July 2026, 22:50 PM
Business Plus / Tk 6,000cr moves daily. But not every wallet is winning
11 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Mobile financial services changed how Bangladesh sends money and makes payments, but market competition has failed to keep pace
11 July 2026, 00:00 AM
President gets withdrawal cap waiver from Global Islami Bank
9 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Bangladesh Bank has granted President Mohammed Shahabuddin a special exemption from withdrawal restrictions imposed on depositors of five troubled banks, approving a request to withdraw Tk 20 lakh from his account at Global Islami Bank.
9 July 2026, 00:00 AM
BRAC Bank rises from SME roots to banking leader
5 July 2026, 00:00 AM
BRAC Bank PLC, founded in 2001 under the leadership of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed to serve the “missing middle” -- small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that had outgrown microfinance but lacked access to formal banking -- has grown into one of Bangladesh’s leading financial institutions.
5 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Roadmap seeks lasting cure for toxic loans
1 July 2026, 00:00 AM
BB banks on legal reforms, tighter supervision and global standards
1 July 2026, 00:00 AM
BB sticks to tight monetary policy as inflation stays high
1 July 2026, 00:00 AM
Economists question whether monetary tightening can succeed while the central bank continues to inject funds into banks
1 July 2026, 00:00 AM
BB allows new entities to assess credit worthiness of borrowers
These credit bureaus will work to determine credit standards by analysing borrower data before sharing it with banks, which will help financial institutions make informed decisions, said the central bank guidelines on the licencing, operating and regulating of credit bureaus.
10 June 2024, 01:02 AM
Why have loan defaults risen sharply?
However, NPLs rose 38.5 percent year-on-year to Tk 1,82,295 crore by the end of March, accounting for 11.11 percent of the total loans disbursed in the banking system, according to central bank data.
8 June 2024, 21:24 PM
Bad loans hit historic high
Default loans in the banking sector of Bangladesh hit an all-time high of Tk 182,295 crore, but no reform programme to reduce it has been announced in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
6 June 2024, 18:00 PM
Default loans hit historic high of Tk 1,82,295 crore
Bad loans rose by Tk 36,367 crore in just three months
6 June 2024, 10:51 AM
Banking reforms remain a pipe dream
As new finance minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali gears up to place his first budget for FY25, the lack of good governance in the banking sector remains a widely discussed issue.
6 June 2024, 00:42 AM
Mercantile Bank redirects focus to SME, retail lending
Mercantile Bank PLC used to emphasise corporate lending but now the private commercial lender plans to redirect the focus in order to bring the unbanked people under the financial system by providing more loans to small and medium enterprises, retail and agriculture, said its top executive.
1 June 2024, 18:06 PM
Janata Bank’s 57pc bad loans taken by 7 firms
Seven large borrowers, including AnonTex, Crescent, Ratanpur, and S Alam groups, account for 57 percent of the total default loans at Janata Bank, highlighting the risks lenders face if a handful of firms eat up most of the credit.
30 May 2024, 18:00 PM
Treasury bond yields climb to 15-year high
The interest rate of treasury bonds recently jumped to a 15-year high of 12.75 percent, indicating that government borrowing will become costlier in the months ahead.
30 May 2024, 01:00 AM
BB bypasses own rules in appointing IFIC Bank adviser
The Bangladesh Bank has bypassed its own rules by approving the appointment of Mohammad Shah Alam Sarwar as the strategic adviser of IFIC Bank PLC.
29 May 2024, 03:32 AM
Think beyond traditional markets to drive export growth
Bangladesh should consider emerging markets that are growing at a healthy clip and offer growth opportunities to drive up exports instead of keep relying on traditional destinations, said Frederic Neumann, HSBC’s Chief Asia Economist and co-head of Global Research Asia.
26 May 2024, 18:04 PM
Banks sell dollar at more than Tk 118 as pressure mounts
The chief executives of at least three private commercial banks told The Daily Star that the BB had verbally allowed them to quote Tk 1 more than the exchange rate to collect US dollars amid the ongoing forex crunch.
23 May 2024, 00:49 AM
ICB Islamic Bank struggling to pay back depositors
ICB Islamic Bank, which took shape from the ruins of Oriental Bank in 2008, is now failing to repay the depositors’ money due to severe liquidity crisis, indicating a vulnerable situation of the lender.
18 May 2024, 18:00 PM
No let-up in reserves slide
Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have been falling since September 2021 despite a series of government initiatives to reverse the trend.
16 May 2024, 18:00 PM
Yield on treasury bills climbs to a record 12% as govt borrowing intensifies
Currently, the government is borrowing heavily from commercial banks using the tool as the central bank has suspended injecting fresh money into the economy to avoid fuelling inflation, which has stayed above 9 percent for the past 20 months.
15 May 2024, 01:52 AM
Pressure mounts as currency outflow intensifies
The deficit in the financial account stood at $9.25 billion in July-March of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh Bank data showed. It was $2.92 billion in the first nine months of the previous fiscal year and $8.46 billion in July-February of 2023-24.
14 May 2024, 00:59 AM
Banks go slow in raising interest rates even after BB cedes control
The interest rates on consumer loans, forced loans and overdue loans are likely to go up rapidly in the upcoming months, however.
13 May 2024, 00:47 AM
No headway in curbing banks’ bad assets
The FID later backtracked following criticism from different quarters, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), about the formation of a public corporation since state enterprises have usually underperformed in the country.
12 May 2024, 00:30 AM
Withdrawals put BASIC Bank in liquidity crisis
BASIC Bank is experiencing a deep liquidity crunch as depositors have been withdrawing money for weeks following news that the state-run lender is going to be acquired by a private commercial bank.
11 May 2024, 18:00 PM
Sikder family loses grip on National Bank
The Sikder family has apparently lost its grip on National Bank Ltd as Bangladesh Bank has appointed a new board for the country’s first private bank.
6 May 2024, 18:00 PM
BB likely to discard SMART formula as interest rate surges
In July last year, the central bank withdrew the 9 percent lending rate cap and introduced the Six-months Moving Average Rate of Treasury bills (SMART).
5 May 2024, 00:00 AM