United News of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has requested the Dhaka (South) Customs Bond Commissionerate to expedite and simplify customs bond-related services and provide policy support to enhance the readymade garment (RMG) industry's competitiveness. A delegation of BGMEA, led by Director Faisal Samad, met with Commissioner Mohammad Hasmat Ali at his office on Monday, to place the request. The delegation included BGMEA Directors Sumaiya Islam and Kazi Mizanur Rahman, according to a press release. During the meeting, the delegation handed over a letter from BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan to the Customs Commissioner, urging the simplification of customs bond processes and asking for policy assistance for both the Dhaka (South) and Dhaka (North) Bond Commissionerate. The discussion focused on making customs procedures more efficient, faster, and harassment-free to sustain the industry's competitive edge. The BGMEA directors highlighted several specific areas needing improvement, including-Simplifying the annual audit process for garment exporters, expediting the clearance of back-to-back L/Cs that were not covered by the utilization declaration (UD), maintaining bond registers through the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) software, avoiding cutting supervision based solely on suspicion without valid reason, simplifying the process of adding HS codes to bond licenses. The delegation also drew the Commissioner’s attention to several policy support issues, simplifying the process for importing raw materials on a Free of Cost (FOC) basis, eliminating VAT-related harassment for services provided by non-bonded companies (like washing, printing, dyeing, and embroidery) to bonded garment exporters, removing complexities in the supply of goods and services from bonded sub-contracting firms to non-bonded direct exporters and simplifying sub-contracting activities.  

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) ended Monday’s trading session lower despite an early rise, while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) closed the day in a positive territory. At the DSE, the benchmark index DSEX shed 8 points, while the Shariah-based DSES fell by 4 points. The blue-chip index DS30, however, gained 3 points. Most of the traded issues ended in the red, as prices of 223 companies declined against 127 gainers, while 47 issues remained unchanged. Across all three categories — A, B and Z — the majority of issues lost value. In the A category, which includes companies that pay the highest dividends, 148 issues declined, while 53 advanced and 20 remained unchanged. In the DSE block market, shares worth Tk 20 crore of 32 companies were traded, with Square Pharmaceuticals leading the board by selling shares worth Tk 4 crore. The DSE posted a turnover of Tk 1,400 crore, slightly lower than the previous day’s Tk 1,441 crore. S Alam Cold Rolled Steels topped the gainer’s list with a rise of over 9 percent, while Trust Life Insurance suffered the steepest fall, losing more than 9 percent. On the other hand, the CSE witnessed an upward trend, with its overall index gaining 48 points. Out of the traded issues, 127 advanced, 111 declined and 26 remained unchanged. The port city bourse saw a turnover of Tk 16 crore, down from Tk 18 crore in the previous session. Apollo Ispat Complex topped the gainers at the CSE with a rise of over 10 percent, while International Leasing and Financial Services suffered the biggest fall, dropping by more than 10 percent.

Prominent economist and Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh Masrur Riaz on Monday said the ongoing global trade war has created new opportunities for Bangladesh as American imports are shifting away from China. “Amid this situation, Bangladesh, as a non-aligned or openly non-political country, can become a promising destination,” he said. Masrur was addressing a seminar titled ‘Bangladesh's Actions in the Context of Trade War and the Role of FBCCI’, organised by Bangladesh Business Forum (BBF) at a city hotel on Monday. He stressed the need for improving competitiveness, trade facilitation, product diversification and governance to capitalise on such opportunities. Speaking at the event, Executive Chairman of Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman underscored the importance of identifying new growth drivers to keep the economy on track in the wake of the recent political change. He called for recognising harassment in business activities as a ‘state malady’, much like corruption is indexed globally. “While the readymade garment (RMG) sector exists, new sectors must be explored,” he said, pointing to pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT and leather as potential areas. Business leaders at the programme, however, criticised the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), saying the apex trade body has failed to play any effective role while the business community continues to face problems, including the energy crisis.

Former directors of Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL) on Monday voiced strong opposition to the government’s plan to merge five private banks into a state-owned Islamic bank. At a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club, they rejected the central bank’s initiative, terming it ‘unjust’ and ‘unacceptable’.  “If SIBL needs money to run the bank, Bangladesh Bank should provide it and we return it later through business. There is no justification for taking it over,” said former SIBL director Dr Md Jahangir. Former chairman Dr Major (retd) M Rezaul Haque alleged that the bank had earlier been ‘seized at gunpoint’ and now the authorities were trying to bring it under state ownership again. “What is our fault? No one has the right to take away our bank. We have already filed a writ petition with the court, and the government must wait for its disposal,” he said. Former chairman Sultan Mahmood Chowdhury argued that businesspeople were best suited to run banks. “We are businessmen. If we cannot manage this bank, how can others? This is our asset. Can the government just take away someone’s house or property?” he asked. Asaduzzaman, another former director, said, “We built this bank with great efforts, bringing in money from expatriates. Why should it now be nationalised?” The central bank has already moved forward with a plan to merge five struggling Shariah-based banks, Social Islami, EXIM, First Security Islami, Union and Global Islami, into a single large Islamic bank. The government has given its consent to the initiative.  

The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) has once again raised gold prices, setting a new record in the country’s history. The price of 22-carat gold has been increased by Tk 2,718 per bhori, taking it to Tk 181,550, according to a BAJUS press release issued on Sunday night. The new rate will come into effect from Monday (Sept 8). BAJUS attributed the latest hike to an increase in the price of pure gold in the local market. As per the revised rates, 21-carat gold will now cost Tk 173,304 per bhori, 18-carat gold Tk 148,541 and traditional gold Tk 123,067 per bhori (11.664 grams). Read more: Gold Investment in Bangladesh in 2025: Safe Haven or Risky Bet? Buyers will also have to pay an additional 5% VAT set by the government, along with a minimum 6% making charge fixed by BAJUS. The making charge may vary depending on design and quality, it added. Earlier, on September 3, BAJUS raised the price of 22-carat gold by Tk 3,044 per bhori to Tk 178,832 — which was then the highest in the country’s history.

Bangladesh Bank, in a directive, asked all scheduled banks and financial institutions to submit their annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets by February every year. Chowdhury Liaquat Ali, Director of the Sustainable Finance Department (SFD) of the central bank, issued a notice in this regard on Sunday (Sep 7) and sent it to the top executives of the banks for immediate execution. The notification also stated that these institutions have to submit their CSR budget, along with a board memorandum, by the end of February each year. The submission must also include information on the previous year's net profit after tax, based on the December-end figures. Bangladesh Bank has taken this measure is intended to ensure the proper use of CSR funds, as per the established policy guidelines, said in the directive. The circular also states that if the approved CSR budget is later revised, a copy of the revised budget must be submitted along with the semi-annual report.

Bangladesh received US$516 million in inward remittances in the first six days of September. In the first six days of September last year, expatriates sent $556 million in remittances. The remittance flow dropped by 7.1 percent between the periods compared. The expatriates have sent $5.41 billion in remittances from July to September 6 in the current fiscal year 2025-26. In the previous fiscal year, expatriates sent $4.69 billion in remittances in the same period. Accordingly, remittances have grown by 15.4 percent. The expatriates sent a record US$2.48 billion in remittance in July and $2.42 billion in August. Bangladesh’s remittance earnings reached a new high, receiving $30.33 billion in the fiscal year 2024-25. This represents a 27 percent increase from the $23.74 billion received in FY2023-24.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves stood at US$30.3 billion on Sunday after the payment of $1.5 billion in import bills of the last two months—July and August—through the Asian Clearing Union (ACU). In May-June 2025, the central bank paid $2.02 billion in ACU bills. After the ACU settlement, the central bank's gross foreign exchange reserves stood at $30.30 billion. In the account of the International Monetary Fund, the forex reserves stood at $25.39 billion. The gross reserve at this time last year was $19.46 billion. ACU is an international transaction settlement system. This system settles transactions between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In the system, the central bank of the respective countries pays their import liabilities every two months.

Postal traffic into the United States has plunged by more than 80% after the Trump administration scrapped a long-standing tariff exemption for low-cost imports, the United Nations postal agency said Saturday. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) said it has begun rolling out measures to help postal operators worldwide calculate and collect duties after Washington eliminated the “de minimis exemption” for parcels valued at $800 or less. According to the UPU, 88 postal operators have suspended some or all services to the U.S. until a solution is found. “The global network saw postal traffic to the U.S. come to a near-halt after the new rules took effect on Aug. 29, 2025, placing the burden of customs duty collection on transportation carriers or U.S. Customs and Border Protection-approved companies,” the agency said. Data exchanged through the UPU’s electronic system showed traffic from its 192 member countries had dropped 81% on Aug. 29 compared with the week before. The agency, based in Bern, Switzerland, said “major operational disruptions” occurred because airlines and carriers refused to collect duties, while foreign postal operators lacked systems to link with U.S.-qualified partners. Ahead of the change, the postal union had written to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning about its impact. Asian shares rise as Wall Street steadies on tech rally, weaker dollar The exemption, first introduced in 1938, had long allowed lower-value imports to bypass customs. The Trump administration argued it had become a loophole exploited by foreign businesses to avoid tariffs and by criminals smuggling drugs into the country. Under the new rules, purchases that once cleared customs duty-free are now subject to origin-based tariff rates ranging from 10% to 50%. Exceptions remain for U.S. residents receiving gifts worth up to $100 and souvenirs up to $200 from overseas trips, the White House said. The UPU stressed that members were not given sufficient time or guidance to comply with the July 30 executive order that ended duty-free eligibility for low-value goods. Source: Agency 

After two straight sessions of gains, stocks closed the week lower on Thursday at both Dhaka and Chattogram bourses, with key indices, prices and turnover declining. The benchmark DSEX index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) shed 17 points, while the Shariah-based DSES was down 3 points and the blue-chip DS30 index lost 13 points at the close of trading. Out of 392 issues traded on the DSE, prices advanced for 175, declined for 145 and remained unchanged for 72. Despite the overall fall in indices, most stocks in the A, B and Z categories ended higher. Among the 216 A-category issues, the group with the strongest dividend record, 99 gained, 89 fell and 28 closed flat. The DSE’s block market saw trades of Tk 33 crore in shares of 33 companies, led by Orion Infusion with Tk 22 crore in transactions. Stock indices edge up in first hour at DSE, CSE The turnover at the DSE stood at Tk 1338 crore, down from Tk 1397 crore in the previous session. Rupali Life Insurance was the day’s top gainer, soaring more than 9 percent, while HR Textile was the worst performer, dropping over 8 percent. The downbeat trend extended to the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), where the overall index lost 29 points. Of the 238 issues traded, 108 advanced, 108 declined and 22 remained unchanged. Dhaka bourse sees highest turnover in 12 months The turnover at the port city bourse fell sharply to Tk 12 crore, compared with Tk 21 crore a day earlier. Standard Ceramic Industries gained over 9 percent to top the CSE’s chart, while Bangladesh National Insurance plunged more than 10 percent to end at the bottom.