United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh recorded a robust surge in net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during the July-September quarter of 2025, signaling a significant boost in investor confidence despite global economic uncertainties, said Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA). According to the latest data from Bangladesh Bank, net FDI inflows for Q3 (July–September) reached US$315.09 million. This represents a staggering 202 percent year-on-year increase compared to the $104.33 million recorded during the same period in 2024. The cumulative figures for the year also show a strong upward trend. Total net FDI inflows from January to September 2025 reached $1.41 billion, an 80 percent rise from the $780 million recorded during the first nine months of the previous year. All major categories of FDI saw marked improvements in the third quarter of 2025- Equity Investment: Rose by 31.69 percent to $101.12 million (up from $76.79 million). Reinvested Earnings: Soared by 190.07 percent to $211.47 million (up from $72.90 million). Intra-Company Loans: Rebounded to a positive $2.49 million, reversing from a negative -$45.36 million in the previous year. Building on First-Half Momentum This growth follows a solid performance in the first half of the year. Net FDI in H1 2025 (January–June) increased by more than 61 percent compared to H1 2024. Specifically, the April–June period saw a 11.4 percent year-on-year gain, reaching $303.27 million. Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of BIDA, noted that these gains reflect a credible pipeline of investment converting into realized inflows. "These back-to-back quarterly gains highlight that investors are placing their trust in Bangladesh. We expect some moderation in Q4 2025 due to the upcoming elections, but anticipate a rebound post-election, supported by a strong investment pipeline," Shayan said. Beyond these realized figures, BIDA reported that its dedicated investment pipeline for 2025 has already surpassed $1.5 billion, in addition to traditional registered proposals.

Dr Md Ezazul Islam has been appointed Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM). The announcement was made on Sunday, marking a significant transition for the country’s premier banking training and research institute. Dr Islam joins BIBM following an extensive career at Bangladesh Bank spanning over 33 years. Most recently, he served as Executive Director (Grade-1) in charge of the Monetary Policy Department. During his tenure at the central bank, he was a key member of several high-level committees, including the Monetary Policy Committee, Foreign Exchange Auction Committee and Money Market Operation Committee. Throughout his three decades of service, Dr Islam has been a central figure in shaping Bangladesh’s financial landscape, said a handout. He is credited with leading the modernization of the nation’s monetary policy framework and was instrumental in the adoption of the interest rate corridor. His efforts also extended to streamlining money market operations and improving liquidity management. Dr Islam holds a PhD in Monetary Economics. He has authored more than 35 articles published in peer-reviewed journals both locally and internationally, covering a wide range of topics including debt, exchange rates and macroeconomic issues. In 2013, his contributions to the financial sector were recognized when he received the Bangladesh Bank Gold Medal Employees’ Recognition Award for outstanding performance.

The remittance from Bangladeshi expatriates continued its upward momentum in January, with the country receiving more than US$1.12 billion in the first 10 days of the month. Bangladesh received $17.39 billion in inward remittances from July to January 10, 2026, in the current fiscal year, FY 2025-26. It was 14.49 billion in the same period of the previous FY2024-25, saw a growth of 20 percent. Blessings on the remittance, the gross forex reserves of Bangladesh cross $33 billion. As per the IMF standard BPM6, the forex reserves stood at $29 billion plus. Read more: Remittance inflow exceeds $632 million in first six days of December Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank (BB), said the expatriates have sent $1.12 billion in the first 10 days of January 2026, which was $7.17 million in the same period of January 2025. It means the remittance earnings grew by 57.2 percent in this time. The growth is attributed to several factors, including incentives offered for sending money through legal banking channels, increased encouragement for using the formal system, and the active role of exchange houses. In the FY2025-26, Bangladesh received $2.47 billion in remittances in July, $2.42 billion in August, $2.68 billion in September, $2.56 billion in October, $2.88 billion in November, and $3.22 billion in December. The data showed an average inward remittance of over $2.42 billion in the past six months, prompting Bangladeshi policymakers to favour remittance inflows over borrowing from the IMF with stringent conditions. Read more: Remittance fighters deserve more than just appreciation: Singer Asif Akbar

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has established an electronic interconnection between ASYCUDA World and BGMEA’s e-Utilisation Declaration (e-UD) system, aiming to modernise Bangladesh’s bond management and customs clearance processes. The integration came into effect on January 11 with a plan to make the bond management system more modern, efficient and technology-driven, while ensuring faster assessment and clearance of bonded raw materials and exported goods, NBR officials said. They said the initiative is also expected to strengthen transparency, accountability and competitiveness in line with international best practices. Under the bonded warehouse facility, exporters, particularly those in the readymade garment sector, can import raw materials duty-free against their export commitments. Previously, verification of Utilisation Declarations (UDs) involved manual processes and reliance on BGMEA’s internal system. This often resulted in procedural complexities, delays in clearance, and challenges in ensuring effective oversight, revenue protection and accountability. With the new interconnection, UD verification will now be conducted fully online and on a real-time basis through ASYCUDA World, Bangladesh’s automated customs management system. According to the NBR officials, the move will significantly reduce paperwork, minimise human intervention and speed up customs procedures for both imports and exports under the bond facility. The NBR said the initiative would bring several tangible benefits, including faster and more efficient clearance of import-export consignments, reduced dependence on physical documents, and a substantial reduction in revenue risks through improved digital verification. The integration is also expected to enhance overall risk management and strengthen safeguards against misuse of bonded facilities. Officials noted that the successful completion of the pilot phase paved the way for the full-scale integration. Following this, the authorities plan to gradually introduce electronic UD write-off procedures, further automating the bond management lifecycle and reducing manual interventions at later stages. The integration has been implemented as a joint initiative of the NBR and BGMEA, reflecting closer collaboration between the revenue authority and the country’s largest export-oriented trade body. The readymade garment sector accounts for the bulk of Bangladesh’s export earnings, and efficient bond management is considered critical for maintaining its global competitiveness. Describing the initiative as a milestone, the NBR said the interconnection is a major step towards establishing a paperless customs system in Bangladesh. It is expected to play an important role in trade facilitation, reducing transaction costs, and aligning the country’s customs administration with international standards. The NBR reiterated its commitment to leveraging technology to modernise customs operations, improve ease of doing business and support the country’s export-led growth, while ensuring effective revenue protection and regulatory compliance.  

Gold prices surged sharply in Bangladesh as jewellers announced a fresh hike, pushing the cost of the precious metal to a new high amid continued volatility in the local market. In a statement issued on Saturday night, Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) said the price of 22-carat gold has been increased to Tk227,856 per bhori (11.664 grams), up from the previous rate. The association cited a rise in the price of tejabi (pure) gold in the local market as the reason behind the latest adjustment, saying the new rates were fixed after reviewing the overall market situation. Read more: What Does Gold Carat Mean? Decoding Gold Purity Levels According to the revised price list, 21-carat gold will be sold at Tk217,534 per bhori, while the price of 18-carat gold has been set at Tk186,449 per bhori. Gold made under the traditional method will cost Tk155,423 per bhori. Gold prices in Bangladesh jump nearly Tk 3,000 per bhori in 24 hours In addition to the selling price, buyers will have to pay a government-mandated 5 percent VAT and a minimum 6 percent making charge fixed by BAJUS. However, the making charge may vary depending on the design and quality of the jewellery. BAJUS last adjusted gold prices on January 8, when it reduced the price of 22-carat gold by Tk1,050 per bhori to Tk226,806. With the latest revision, gold prices have been adjusted five times so far this year—three hikes and two cuts. In 2025, BAJUS revised gold prices a total of 93 times, increasing rates on 64 occasions and cutting them 29 times. Read more: Gold Investment in Bangladesh in 2026: Safe Haven or Risky Bet?

Capitalising on the rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud services, Summit Group plans to establish a large-scale data centre in Bangladesh within the next year, its Chairman Muhammed Aziz Khan has told Japan-based news portal Nikkei Asia. In an online interview with Nikkei Asia, Aziz said Summit is preparing to partner with a major global technology company for the venture. As the country’s leading private power producer, Summit Power International will provide the energy backbone for the project, utilising its gas-based infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted, high-uptime power supply required for Tier-1 data centre operations. “Summit Group’s key focus going forward will be energy and data growth, with the aim of strengthening Bangladesh’s LNG sector and fibre-optic infrastructure,” Aziz said. According to Nikkei Asia, Summit currently supplies about seven percent of Bangladesh’s total electricity demand through its 10 gas-based plants and five other power plants. In the digital connectivity segment, another concern of the group—Summit Communications—accounts for more than half of the country’s internet supply and is one of the leading fibre-optic service providers. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) told Nikkei Asia that the number of internet and smartphone users in Bangladesh is rising steadily, driving increased demand for cloud services, mobile applications and artificial intelligence. In this context, JICA said the establishment of a full-fledged data centre has become essential for the country. The government promulgated the Personal Data Protection Ordinance in 2024, which restricts the transfer of both personal and aggregate data outside Bangladesh. However, due to the shortage of domestic data centres, a large volume of data continues to be hosted by foreign companies. JICA noted that setting up local data centres would significantly strengthen Bangladesh’s data protection regime. JICA also observed that ongoing political uncertainty has made it difficult to attract private investment in data centres. Nevertheless, it believes such projects are feasible if a domestic company takes the lead. Aziz said Summit is currently looking for a reliable international partner with proven experience in data centre development and strong marketing capabilities. “We have been in contact with seven major global tech companies—Alphabet, Microsoft, Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Amazon and Meta Platforms. Some of them have shown interest in working together. Summit will finalise a partnership decision within this year,” he said. Initially, Summit plans to locate the data centre near one of its gas-based power plants close to Dhaka, operating the facility on its own land, Nikkei Asia reported. “The three key requirements for a data centre are electricity, fibre and land—and Summit has all three. Although establishing a fully operational data centre will take several years, we aim to open services for customers within 18 months,” Aziz said. He acknowledged concerns that the high electricity consumption of data centres could pose challenges to Bangladesh’s renewable energy targets. However, he said global realities have changed and Bangladesh must adapt. Aziz noted that until two years ago, Summit had planned to shut down all hydrocarbon-based power plants by 2050, but current domestic and global conditions have made that goal unfeasible for now. “We still have major plans to invest in solar and hydropower projects in India, Nepal and Bhutan and import clean energy into Bangladesh. However, strained relations between Bangladesh and India have become a major obstacle to implementing these initiatives,” he said. Despite challenges ahead of the next national election, Aziz said Summit Group remains committed to continuing its operations in Bangladesh under all circumstances. He also expressed optimism that operating under an elected government would be positive for the country and would improve the long-term investment climate, he told Nikkei Asia.

Letter of Credit (LC) openings for essential commodities, industrial raw materials, and capital machinery have seen a significant rise as dollar supply increased with a stable exchange rate. For the first five months (July–November) of FY 2025-26, the overall Letter of Credit (LC) opening for imports was around $29.69 billion, a modest 4.5 percent increase from the previous year. LC openings for imports totaled approximately $29.69 billion, up slightly from $28.4 billion in the same period of FY25. However, data shows a mixed trend in LC settlements, with some sectors experiencing a slowdown. According to the latest report of Bangladesh Bank, LC openings for consumer goods rose by 10.64 percent during the first five months (July-November) of the FY2025-26 compared to the same period last year. An analysis of the business sector data shows that a different picture emerges in the opening of LCs for industrial raw materials and capital machinery. In the first five months of the FY2025-26, both the opening and settlement of LCs for the import of industrial raw materials achieved a slight growth of 0.42 percent; where the amount of LCs opened was $10.29 billion and the amount of settlements was $9.69 billion. On the other hand, the biggest change was observed in the import of capital machinery. The number of LCs opened in this sector increased by 32.22 percent to $911 million, indicating the growing interest of entrepreneurs in industrialization. However, in contrast, the rate of LC settlements decreased significantly. LC settlements for capital machinery decreased by 16.77 percent to $745 million, indicating that despite the increase in new orders, the process of final payment or release of goods is progressing quite slowly because of the higher interest rate. According to the report, in the first five months of the FY2024-25, LCs for consumer goods were opened at $2.58 billion. In the same period of the current fiscal year, it increased to $2.85 billion. That is, the number of LCs opened for consumer goods increased by $274.4 million. On the other hand, in the first five months of the last fiscal year, LCs for consumer goods were settled at $2.43 billion. In the same period of the current fiscal year, it decreased to $2.41 billion. As a result, settlements decreased by $20.9 million. In addition to consumer goods, LCs opened and settled for industrial raw material imports also increased by 0.42 percent. According to Bangladesh Bank data, in the first five months of the FY2024-25, LCs were opened for industrial raw material imports at $10.25 billion. In the same period of the current fiscal year, it increased to $10.30 billion. That is, LCs opened increased by $40 million. LC settlements have also increased in this sector. In the first five months of the last fiscal year, LC settlements for industrial raw materials were $9.65 billion. In the same period of the current fiscal year, it increased to $9.69 billion. As a result, settlements increased by $43.6 million. According to sector stakeholders, during the Awami League government, the import of less important and luxury goods was controlled to maintain foreign exchange reserves. Currently, as expatriate income increases and the dollar crisis eases somewhat, relaxation in LC is needed so that there is no negative impact on the import of daily essentials goods. According to the central bank, in the first five months of the 2024-25 fiscal year, LCs worth $689 million were opened for the import of capital machinery. In the same period of the current fiscal year, it increased to $911 million. That is, the LC opened in one year increased by 220.2 million dollars. On the other hand, in the first five months of the FY2024-25, LCs for capital machinery were settled at $895.7 million. In the same period of the current fiscal year, it decreased to $745.5 million. As a result, settlements decreased by 150.2 million dollars.  

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.

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.