United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh and Japan have finalised the draft of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), with the deal set to be signed next month, Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said on Monday. “I talked to the Japanese Foreign Minister over the phone today. The EPA will be signed next month,” he said at a press conference on Bangladesh-Japan EPA negotiations at the Secretariat. .He said Bangladesh has agreed to open 97 sub-sectors to Japan under the agreement while Japan has decided to open 120 sub-sectors to Bangladesh in four modes of services. Bashir Uddin said the EPA draft was finalised through intensive negotiations with Japan. He said this would be Bangladesh’s first-ever economic partnership agreement with any country which is expected to boost investment and bilateral trade between the two nations. Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun and Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman were present at the briefing. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said the process of the agreement began at the end of 2024 and was finalised after eight rounds of meetings. Lutfey Siddiqi said Bangladesh had never entered into such an economic agreement before and initially there was limited experience on how to proceed. “With sincere efforts from everyone in the government we have managed to complete it. Undoubtedly, this is a good agreement for Bangladesh,” he said. BIDA Executive Chairman Ashik Mahmud said Bangladesh has long enjoyed friendly relations with Japan but Japanese investment in Bangladesh stands at only about $500 million which is relatively low compared to Japan’s investments in other countries. He said in the past the absence of a structured economic agreement often discouraged larger Japanese investments in Bangladesh. “We are often compared with Vietnam which has agreements with around 30 countries. We are just starting but this journey will allow us to sign many more economic agreements in the future and help address challenges related to LDC graduation,” he said. He added that Japanese investment previously concentrated in only a few sectors would now expand into areas such as logistics, electronics, IT and automobiles, accelerating both investment inflows and technology transfer. At the press conference, it was said the EPA is expected to bring wide-ranging trade and economic benefits for Bangladesh including trade expansion, increased investment and new employment opportunities. Once the agreement comes into effect, Bangladesh will receive immediate duty-free access to the Japanese market for 7,379 products from the first day of signing. In return, Japan will receive immediate duty-free access to Bangladesh’s market for 1,039 products.

The Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) is set to host its four-day flagship housing exhibition, the REHAB Fair 2025, beginning on December 24, bringing together real estate developers and prospective homebuyers under one roof. The fair will run until December 27 and will be inaugurated at 11am on December 24 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka. It will remain open to visitors every day from 10am to 9pm. REHAB President Md Wahiduzzaman announced the schedule on Monday morning at the CIRDAP Auditorium, highlighting the fair’s continued role in supporting Bangladesh’s growing housing and construction sector. A total of 220 stalls will be set up at the venue, enabling visitors to directly engage with developers, explore apartment options, and discuss purchase plans. According to Wahiduzzaman, the fair aims to simplify access to housing information while fostering transparency between buyers and developers. Since launching its first housing fair in Dhaka in 2001, REHAB has organised 26 fairs in the capital, making this year’s event the 27th edition. Beyond Dhaka, the association has also held 16 fairs in Chattogram, reflecting growing demand outside the capital. REHAB’s outreach has extended beyond Bangladesh as well. To date, the association has organised 12 housing fairs in the United States, along with two in the United Arab Emirates and one each in Italy, Canada, Australia and Qatar, targeting expatriate Bangladeshis interested in investing in property back home. “Through organising such fairs, REHAB continues its efforts to expand the housing market both domestically and internationally,” Wahiduzzaman said. He noted that the construction sector currently contributes around 15 percent to the national economy, a share that is expected to grow with the regular organisation of such events. As in previous years, visitors will be able to purchase two types of entry tickets. Single-entry tickets will be available at Tk 50, while multiple-entry tickets, priced at Tk 100, will allow entry up to five times in a single day. REHAB also said that proceeds from ticket sales will be used to support underprivileged communities under the association’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, continuing its efforts to combine industry growth with social responsibility.

Trading at both the Dhaka and Chattogram stock exchanges began on a negative note on Sunday, with key indices falling in the first hour amid widespread price declines. At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX index shed 21 points in early trading. The Shariah-based DSES index fell by 4 points, while the blue-chip DS30 index dropped 8 points. Most listed companies witnessed price erosion. Of the issues traded, prices declined for 206 companies, while 65 advanced and 76 remained unchanged. Share and unit turnover at the DSE crossed Tk 60 crore in the first hour of trading. The downward trend also continued at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), where the overall index slipped by 5 points. Prices rose for 11 companies, declined for 13, and remained unchanged for 3. During the first half of the session, shares and units worth Tk 1.20 crore were traded at the CSE.

Opsonin Pharma Limited, one of the country’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturers, held its Annual Sales Conference 2026 on Thursday at the International Convention Centre, Bashundhara. The company has recorded consistent and notable sales growth over the past several years and maintained this momentum throughout 2025, said a press release on Thursday. According to the IMS Report for the second quarter of 2025, Opsonin Pharma currently ranks among the top-performing pharmaceutical companies in terms of sales in Bangladesh. Alongside meeting domestic market demand, the company has also been expanding its international presence by exporting pharmaceutical products to a number of countries worldwide. The conference was attended by all field-level officials of the company. Among the distinguished participants were Opsonin Pharma Chairman Captain (Retd) Abdus Sabur Khan, Managing Director Abdur Rauf Khan, Deputy Managing Director Abdur Rakib Khan, Director (Sales and Marketing) Md Abdul Momen Talukdar, Assistant General Managers (Sales) Md Mahmudul Haque and Debojite Chandra Bhowmick, and Assistant General Managers (PMD) Taj Md Aga Menon and Md Akhtar Hossain, along with other senior officials. During the programme, Director (Sales and Marketing) Md Abdul Momen Talukdar presented an overview of the current pharmaceutical market scenario, highlighting marketing strategies and the company’s future vision. He also outlined Opsonin Pharma’s goals, objectives and strategic policy directions aimed at ensuring sustainable growth and further strengthening its leadership position in the market.

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) on Thursday launched an Information Help Desk aimed at making capital market-related information more accessible and effective for investors and other stakeholders. The help desk was formally inaugurated by DSE Managing Director (acting) Mohammad Asadur Rahman at the exchange premises. “Infrastructure through the Information Help Desk will make the dissemination of capital market-related information easier and ensure quick and effective responses to various queries from investors and stakeholders. This will further enhance DSE’s service quality, making it more customer-friendly and transparent,” Asadur said. He expressed optimism that the initiative would play a significant role in boosting market participants’ confidence in the exchange. Investors and stakeholders can obtain capital market-related information by contacting the help desk at +88-02-41040189 and 09666-702070, he added. DSE Chief Technology Officer Dr Asifur Rahman, Chief Financial Officer Md Samiul Islam, Chief Regulatory Officer Md Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan, and other senior officials were present at the event.

Trading at both the Dhaka and Chattogram stock exchanges began on a negative note on Thursday, with key indices falling in the first hour amid declines in most company prices. The benchmark DSEX at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) shed 17 points. The Shariah-based DSES fell by 5 points, while the blue-chip DS-30 index lost 8 points. Out of the traded issues, prices declined for 217 companies against gains for 81, while 86 remained unchanged. The turnover at the DSE crossed Tk 127 crore in shares and units during the first half of the session. Bangladesh stocks slide on week’s opening day at DSE, CSE The downtrend also persisted at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), where the general index dropped by 44 points. At the CSE, prices advanced for 25 companies, declined for 43 and remained unchanged for 11 issues. The port city bourse recorded a turnover of Tk 2 crore in shares and units in the first half.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur said on Wednesday that recovering laundered money from abroad is a lengthy process and it may four to five years. Dr. Mansur made the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed at the Secretariat. When asked about the progress in bringing back siphoned funds, he said significant advancement has been made as the government is very sincere regarding this issue. Responding to a question over potential recovery he mentioned the case of former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury in London. “We will be very lucky if this case is resolved quickly. Since they (the accused) did not contest the case, they have lost by default.. I cannot say exactly when the money will arrive—it could be February, March, or possibly by June," Dr. Mansur added. He said other cases depend on formal applications and are subject to long legal processes abroad. "In those instances, there is little we can do to speed it up," he added. Responding to queries regarding the S. Alam Group, the Governor said the conglomerate has filed for international arbitration. "S. Alam has filed for arbitration in Washington against us. It is a case of the thief shouting the loudest.We will contest the case vigorously," the Governor said.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) continues its intervention in the foreign exchange market, purchasing additional US dollars from commercial banks to stabilise the forex market and support remittance inflows and export earnings. The central bank bought around $141.5 million (Tk 14 crore 15 lakh) from 13 banks through auctions on Monday. The exchange rate on the day ranged between Tk 122.29 and Tk 122.30 per US dollar, with the cut-off rate fixed at Tk 122.30. This follows a similar transaction earlier this month. On December 11, Bangladesh Bank purchased about $149 million (Tk 14 crore 90 lakh) from 16 banks, with exchange rates ranging from Tk 122.25 to Tk 122.29 and a cut-off rate of Tk 122.29. The central bank launched its dollar-buying programme through auctions on July 13. So far, in the current FY 2025–26, Bangladesh Bank has purchased approximately $2.80 billion through this mechanism. Confirming Monday’s transaction, Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and spokesperson for Bangladesh Bank, said, “A total of about $141.5 million was purchased from 13 banks on Monday. The exchange rate ranged from Tk 122.29 to Tk 122.30, with the cut-off rate set at Tk 122.30.” Bangladesh Bank’s continued intervention aims to ensure adequate liquidity in the foreign exchange market and maintain exchange rate stability to facilitate international trade and investment, experts said.

Bangladesh Bank, has purchased a significant amount of US dollars from local banks as part of its ongoing efforts to stabilise the foreign exchange market and support the flow of remittances and repatriate export earnings. On Thursday (December 11), the central bank acquired approximately $149 million from 16 banks through a ‘Multiple Price Auction’ system. Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson, Arif Hossain Khan, confirmed the transaction.  "A total of $149 million dollars were purchased from 16 banks through the Multiple Price Auction. The dollar rate during this period was determined between Tk 122.25 and Tk 122.29 per dollar," he stated. With this latest acquisition, the total amount of foreign currency purchased by the central bank through the auction mechanism in the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 has reached $2.663 billion. Bangladesh Bank initiated the dollar purchasing process via auctions on July 13 and has since accumulated this substantial amount of foreign currency as part of the new policy.

Bangladesh Bank has finalized a draft special scheme to refund Tk2.0 lakh initially, then Tk 1.0 lakh in each three months to the depositors of merged five troubled Shariah Bank. This initial amount will be paid out from the ‘Deposit Insurance Fund’. Following this, depositors whose balances exceed Tk2.0 lakh will be allowed to withdraw a maximum of Tk 1.0 lakh every three months for up to two years, said an official to UNB on Wednesday. The authorities closed the merger process and said that the scheme was finalized at a crucial meeting chaired by Governor Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur at Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday.  The meeting included Mohammad Ayub Mia, Chairman of the newly formed 'Sammilito Islami Bank PLC,' four Deputy Governors, the Administrators of the five troubled banks, and relevant departmental officials. The complexities have arisen in returning the funds because the new bank (Sammilito Islami Bank PLC) has not yet developed its database or appointed a Managing Director, creating a legal hurdle.  Despite this, the Governor has issued a directive to begin the process of refunding the money within December 2025. Central Bank officials have discouraged customers from withdrawing money unnecessarily. They emphasized that since the new bank is fundamentally sound, withdrawing funds is not mandatory.  The primary goal of this scheme is to restore confidence among depositors and gradually bring stability back to the banking sector. The central bank outlined the specific withdrawal limits under the scheme. To avail themselves of the scheme’s benefits, customers must meet certain conditions. Such as the account must be valid and opened against a National ID Card, a customer with multiple accounts in a single bank will only receive the benefit against ‘one account’, a customer holding separate accounts in all five merged banks will be eligible for a separate payment against each account and depositors with outstanding loans cannot receive the payment until the loan is reconciled. The five banks being merged are Exim Bank, Social Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Global Islami Bank, and Union Bank. They all fell into deep crises due to massive loan fraud and irregularities by the S. Alam Group, that exercised its influence with the Awami League government to illegally control four of them, and the Nassa Group of Nazrul Islam Majumdar, who controlled the other. The authorized capital for Sammilito Islami Bank PLC has been set at Tk 40,000 crore, with a paid-up capital of Tk 35,000 crore ( Tk20,000 crore from the government and Tk15,000 crore from depositors' shares). Bangladesh Bank data shows the five banks hold deposits of approximately Tk1.42 lakh crore from 75 lakh depositors, against loans totaling Tk 1.93 lakh crore, a large portion of which is now treated as non-performing. The new bank has already taken office space in the Senakalyan Bhaban in Motijheel. Measures, including a 20 percent cut in employee salaries and allowances and merging multiple branches in the same area, have been taken to reduce operational costs.