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1 week ago | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Mahmudul Hasan
For the first time, the World Bank, which traditionally provides development project loans and budgetary support, has extended its assistance through a guarantee facility to support Bangladesh in purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG), aiming to ease pressure on the country's foreign exchange reserves. The World Bank approved a $350 million guarantee for state-owned oil and gas company Petrobangla yesterday.
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1 month ago | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Mahmudul Hasan
The government is planning to significantly reduce its bank borrowing target in the upcoming fiscal year as it aims to narrow the budget deficit by scaling down the overall budget size. The target is set to be slashed by nearly 25 percent in the budget for FY26, dropping to Tk 104,000 crore. The budget deficit for the outgoing fiscal year is also likely to shrink by around Tk 30,000 crore to Tk 226,000 crore, according to a finance ministry official.
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1 month ago | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Mahmudul Hasan
Bangladesh's interim government is preparing to unveil a rare contractionary budget on June 2, driven by a sharp rise in interest payment that is crowding out fiscal space and forcing spending cuts. The national budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is set at Tk 7,90,000 crore -- Tk 7,000 crore lower than the original outlay for the current year -- marking the first time in recent memory that the overall budget will shrink.
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1 month ago | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Mahmudul Hasan
As part of policy reforms aimed at improving the credibility and accuracy of national statistics, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has been empowered to publish official data without prior government approval. At present, approval from the planning minister and head of state is required before the BBS can publish data. This process causes significant delays in data publishing, as files often remain stuck in limbo before ultimately being approved.
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Mar 24, 2025 | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron
Allowances, however, to increase by only Tk 50 to Tk 100 The government will increase the number of beneficiaries of various social safety net schemes by at least 10 lakh from fiscal year (FY) 2025-2026, but allowances will see a small increase, although poor groups have been facing stubbornly high inflation for years. The finance ministry, after consultation with relevant ministries, has drafted a plan to increase the number of beneficiaries and the monthly allowance.
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Mar 15, 2025 | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron
The government's subsidy burden for power and fertiliser is set to increase by 57.9 percent to Tk 90,000 crore in the revised budget for this fiscal year as it looks to keep energy and agricultural inputs affordable amid high inflation. Fertiliser subsidy will increase to Tk 28,000 crore in the revised budget, up by 64.7 percent from the original. Power subsidy will rise by 55 percent to Tk 62,000 crore. The subsidy for liquefied natural gas (LNG) will remain unchanged at Tk 6,000 crore.
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Mar 13, 2025 | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Asifur Rahman
The interim government is planning to prepare a small budget with a 6 percent GDP growth target for the next fiscal year considering the sluggish economy and low revenue collection. Officials said the finance ministry has already started working to this end after receiving directives from the chief adviser, with Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed set to begin pre-budgetary meetings with different stakeholders from next week.
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Mar 11, 2025 | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Asifur Rahman
Revenue collection fell significantly short of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) target in the first six months of the current fiscal year, with the floor for the fourth instalment of an ongoing $4.7 billion loan programme proving too ambitious. The government raised Tk 162,892 crore in total revenue, including from both National Board of Revenue (NBR) and non-NBR sources, according to finance ministry data, missing the IMF's target to collect Tk 215,120 crore by Tk 52,228 crore.
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Mar 8, 2025 | 
bangladeshchronicle.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Asaduz Zaman
Sun Mar 9, 2025 12:00 AMLast update on: Sun Mar 9, 2025 10:14 AMThe interim government is set to increase its allocation for food subsidies by nearly 12 percent, raising the total to Tk 8,100 crore, to intensify food distribution programmes and provide a cushion to low-income groups. The move was prompted by production losses from two rounds of flash floods last year and persistent inflation, which has hovered above nine for 24 straight months.
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Mar 8, 2025 | 
thedailystar.net | Rejaul Karim Byron |Asaduz Zaman
The interim government is set to increase its allocation for food subsidies by nearly 12 percent, raising the total to Tk 8,100 crore, to intensify food distribution programmes and provide a cushion to low-income groups. The move was prompted by production losses from two rounds of flash floods last year and persistent inflation, which has hovered above nine for 24 straight months.
