United News of Bangladesh

An anonymous cryptocurrency trader made more than $436,000 by betting on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shortly before U.S. authorities officially announced the operation, raising concerns over possible use of inside information. Data from Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction platform, showed a sharp rise in bets that Maduro would be removed from power just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that the Venezuelan leader was in U.S. custody. One account, created last month, placed four Venezuela-related bets worth about $32,500 and earned nearly half a million dollars. The odds of Maduro’s exit stood at just 6.5% on Friday afternoon but climbed rapidly overnight before Trump’s announcement on Truth Social. Polymarket has not commented on the unusual trading activity. Financial reform advocates said the trade showed signs of insider knowledge. Following the incident, a U.S. lawmaker introduced a bill to bar government employees from trading on prediction markets using nonpublic information. Prediction markets have grown rapidly in the United States but face limited regulation compared to traditional stock markets.   With inputs from BBC

Bangladesh Bank (BB) purchased a total of US $223.50 million from 14 banks on Tuesday as part of its ongoing effort to stabilise the foreign exchange market. Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and Spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, said the central bank purchased $223.50 million from 14 commercial banks today at a rate of Tk 122.30. According to a notice issued by the central bank on Tuesday, this latest intervention brings the total amount of dollars purchased in the first six months of the FY2025–26 (from July to January 6) to $3.55 billion. For January, 2026 alone, the central bank’s total purchases have already reached $411 million within the first week. Financial analysts said central bank is aggressively buying dollars from the market due to a surge in remittance inflows and export earnings. By purchasing the excess supply, the central bank aims to prevent the taka from over-appreciating, which helps keep Bangladeshi exports competitive. This also helped build up foreign exchange reserves which have faced pressure in recent years, they said. This strategy marks a significant shift from previous years when the central bank was primarily selling dollars from its reserves to defend the local currency.

Trading at the Bangladesh capital market ended mixed on Tuesday, the third working day of the week, as the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) failed to sustain early gains while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) closed higher. After opening on a positive note, the DSE slipped into negative territory by the close. The benchmark DSEX and the Shariah-based DSES each edged down by 1 point, although the blue-chip DS30 index advanced 8 points. Most shares closed lower on the DSE, with prices declining for 227 companies against gains in 108, while 56 issues remained unchanged. The turnover also fell, with total transactions amounting to Tk 454 crore, down from Tk 485 crore in the previous session. In the block market, shares worth Tk 33 crore from 30 companies were traded, where Fine Foods Ltd topped the list with transactions of Tk 8 crore. GQ Ball Pen Industries Ltd topped the DSE gainers’ chart, rising by nearly 7.5 percent, while Peoples Leasing and Finance Services Ltd hit the bottom, shedding 10 percent. Meanwhile, the CSE maintained its upward momentum, with the CASPI index rising by 28 points. On the port city bourse, share prices rose for 65 companies, declined for 63, and remained unchanged for 14 issues. The total turnover at the CSE increased to Tk 11 crore, up from Tk 8 crore in the previous trading day. Eastland Insurance Plc emerged as the top gainer on the CSE with a nearly 10 percent rise, while Peoples Leasing and Finance Services Ltd also ended at the bottom there, losing 10 percent.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan on Tuesday said the abnormal rise in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices was created by retail and wholesale traders. “Some traders created an artificial crisis in the market by taking advantage of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission’s price adjustment announcement,” he told reporters after a meeting of the Advisers’ Council Committee on Government Purchase and Economic Affairs at the Secretariat. Red Hat to empower local businesses with open source solutions The adviser said the government has ordered the authorities to conduct mobile courts across the country through district administrations and police to tackle the situation.  “Those who expected LPG prices to rise saw that BERC increased the price by Tk 53 or so and many tried to take advantage of that. We have asked the Cabinet Secretary to ensure mobile courts are conducted in every district. We also discussed this at yesterday’s law and order committee meeting,” he said. There is no real reason for such abnormal price hike and this has been done through manipulation, he added.

Bangladesh’s stock markets posted gains in the first half of trading on Tuesday, with key indices of both the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) moving upward. Stock market begins week in Bangladesh on a strong note On the third working day of the week, the DSE’s benchmark index DSEX rose by 18 points. The Shariah-based index DSES also advanced by 18 points, while the blue-chip index DS30 gained 14 points. Out of the traded issues, prices of 170 companies increased, while 144 declined and 72 remained unchanged on the DSE. The turnover during the first half of the session crossed Tk 220 crore. Stocks edge up in early trade at DSE, CSE The CSE also witnessed an upward trend, as its overall index CASPI climbed 44 points. At the port city bourse, share prices of 40 companies rose against a fall in 27, while prices of 7 companies remained unchanged. The turnover at the CSE stood at over Tk 2.6 crore in the first half of trading.

Gold prices in Bangladesh rose sharply again within 24 hours as the Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) on Monday increased the price by Tk 2,916 per bhori, following a hike a day earlier. In a notification issued in the night, BAJUS fixed the price of 22-carat gold at Tk 227,856 per bhori (11.664 grams), which will come into effect from Tuesday morning. The jewellers’ body said the latest adjustment was made considering the rise in the local market price of pure gold (tejabi gold). According to the revised rates, 21-carat gold will be sold at Tk 217,534 per bhori, 18-carat gold at Tk 186,449 per bhori, while gold under the traditional method will cost Tk 155,423 per bhori. 35 bhori gold, Tk 6 lakh looted from Joypurhat shop In addition to the set price, buyers will have to pay a mandatory 5 percent VAT set by the government and a minimum 6 percent making charge fixed by BAJUS. However, making charges may vary depending on the design and quality of jewellery. BAJUS last adjusted gold prices on January 4, when it raised the price by Tk 2,216 per bhori, setting the 22-carat gold price at Tk 224,940. With the latest revision, gold prices have been adjusted three times in the first five days of 2026—two increases and one decrease. In 2025, gold prices were revised 93 times in the local market, with hikes on 64 occasions and reductions on 29. Gold prices rise for first time this year in Bangladesh Alongside that of gold, silver prices were also increased this time. The price of 22-carat silver was raised by Tk 385 per bhori to Tk 5,925. Under the new rates, 21-carat silver will cost Tk 5,657 per bhori, 18-carat silver Tk 4,841 per bhori, and silver under the traditional method Tk 3,639 per bhori. This marks the second adjustment of silver prices so far this year—one increase and one decrease. In 2025, silver prices were revised 13 times, with prices rising 10 times and falling three times. Oil edges up, gold jumps after Maduro arrest

Masrur Arefin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of City Bank PLC, has been elected Chairman of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB), the country’s apex body of bank executives. Ahsan Zaman Chowdhury, Managing Director and CEO of Trust Bank PLC, has been elected Secretary General of the organisation. The new leadership was elected at the 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ABB, held recently, for a two-year term covering 2026–2027. Three Vice Chairmen were also elected at the AGM. They are Hasan O. Rashid, Managing Director of Prime Bank PLC; Mohammad Ali, Managing Director of Pubali Bank PLC; and Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid, Managing Director of United Commercial Bank PLC. In addition, Tarek Riaz Khan, Managing Director of NRB Bank PLC, was elected Treasurer, while Mirza Ilias Uddin Ahmed, Managing Director of Jamuna Bank PLC, was elected Joint Secretary. Besides the office bearers, 12 Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers of various banks were elected as members of ABB’s Board of Governance. Stakeholders in the banking sector expressed the hope that professionalism, policy reforms and integrated initiatives would be further strengthened under the new leadership.

Bangladesh’s stock market began the second trading day of the week on a positive note on Monday, but the momentum failed to hold at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), which ended the session in the red, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) managed to close higher, extending its upward trend. At the DSE, the benchmark DSEX index fell by 10 points by the end of the day. Among the other indices, the Shariah-based DSES remained unchanged, while the blue-chip DS30 index slipped by 1 point. Most listed companies at the DSE closed lower, with share prices of 189 companies declining against gains in 143, while 57 issues remained unchanged. The turnover at the premier bourse also dropped, with shares and units worth Tk 485 crore changing hands during the session, down from Tk 537 crore in the previous trading day. Pragati Life Insurance PLC topped the DSE gainers’ chart, rising by 8 percent, while Alif Industries Limited was the worst performer, shedding 10 percent. Meanwhile, the CSE sustained its upward momentum as its overall index, the CASPI, advanced by 19 points. Despite the index gain, a majority of stocks on the port city bourse also ended lower. Prices of 76 companies declined, while 66 advanced and 18 issues closed unchanged. Trading at the CSE fell sharply, with turnover shrinking to Tk 8 crore from Tk 26 crore in the previous session. Dhaka Insurance Limited topped the CSE gainers’ list with a 10 percent rise, while S Alam Cold Rolled Steels Limited ended at the bottom, losing nearly 10 percent of its value.

Bangladesh’s newly formed Sammilito Islamic Bank has begun operations with stabilising transaction flows, signalling renewed public confidence in the country’s banking sector after a major restructuring, said central bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur on Monday. Speaking at a press conference at Bangladesh Bank, Mansur said customers withdrew Tk 107.77 crore while depositing about Tk 44 crore during the bank’s first two days of operations, from January 1 to January 4. “The absence of excessive withdrawal pressure indicates confidence in the restructuring process,” Mansur said, adding that in some areas deposits exceeded withdrawals. Inflation edges up in December The bank recorded 13,314 withdrawal transactions over the period. Customers of the former EXIM Bank accounted for the largest share, with 6,265 clients withdrawing Tk 66 crore. New deposits totalled Tk 44 crore during the same timeframe. Sammilito Islamic Bank was created through the merger of five lenders under the new Bank Resolution Ordinance, a process the Governor described as unprecedentedly fast. While establishing a new bank typically takes years, the institution moved from receiving a Letter of Intent to commencing transactions in just two months. A formal board of directors is in the process of being finalised. For now, government-appointed representatives are overseeing operations. Mansur said independent directors, including a chartered accountant, a veteran banker and a legal expert, will be appointed shortly. Looking ahead, the Governor identified system integration and accountability as the main challenges. Bangladesh Bank’s IT team is working to unify the technological platforms of the five merged banks, while a comprehensive forensic audit will examine past irregularities. “We do not intend to terminate employees. However, those involved in financial irregularities will not be spared. All five banks will come under strict forensic audit,” Mansur said. Bangladesh Bank rolls out risk-based supervision to rebuild depositor confidence The central bank said the formal inauguration of Sammilito Islamic Bank will take place on January 19. Mansur also pointed out that Shariah-based profit rates have been aligned with market standards and that new investment products will be introduced to support growth. Deputy Governor Nurun Nahar, Sammilito Islami Bank Chairman Dr Mohammad Ayub Mia and other senior officials were present at the briefing.

Stocks in Bangladesh posted modest gains in the first half of trading on Monday, with key indices of both the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) moving upward. On the second trading day of the week, the DSE’s benchmark index DSEX and the Shariah-based DSES each rose by 1 point. Stocks advance at DSE, CSE in early trading However, the blue-chip index DS30 slipped slightly. Share prices of 207 companies advanced, while 97 issues declined and 78 remained unchanged on the DSE. The turnover at the premier bourse crossed Tk 225 crore in the first half of the session. Stocks open week higher as indices gain in first hour The CSE also witnessed an upward trend, with its overall index CASPI gaining 1 point. At the port city bourse, prices of 34 companies rose against 34 losers, while 13 issues remained unchanged. The turnover at the CSE stood at over Tk 2.6 crore during the first half of trading.