Economics
The moral geography of livelihoods
In the daily landscape of Bangladesh’s economy, millions sustain the nation not merely through labor, but through moral discipline, integrity, and human endurance. Some open shop shutters at dawn, others pedal rickshaws through narrow lanes, while others work abroad sending remittances home.
To help small entrepreneurs compete in global market, export earnings must be paid quickly
There are no exact statistics on how many small entrepreneurs in Bangladesh are currently engaged in IT and B2C e-commerce businesses. However, their numbers are increasing, and with the right policies, exports and export diversification from this sector could grow further. These small entrepreneurs mainly run their businesses using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and F-commerce.
Objectionable conditions of development partners must be rejected
In response to the request of the previous government, in 2023 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a loan of 4.7 billion US dollars in favour of Bangladesh. Although Bangladesh had sought 4.5 billion dollars in the original loan application
From LDC to Global Player: Reinforcing Pharma Regulations and Capabilities
Pharma sector is one of our prouds as it takes care of 98% of local demand and thus saving about USD 7-8 billion of foreign currencies as per industry leaders. The domestic pharmaceutical market is about to reach USD 6 billion by 2025. The sector contributes around 1.83% of GDP. The forcast for attracting FDI is nearby USD 23 billion by 2030. However the sector is heavily import dependent, annual otflow of approximately USD 1.3 billion for Activated Pharmaceuticals Ingriedients(API) import. Export of pharma products is close to USD 200 million to 150+ countries. The sector created a huge number of white colour jobs from different Universities of Bangladesh.
If new products not added to export list, Bangladesh will lose tariff war
The United States has imposed additional tariffs at varying rates on export products from different countries. This move has caused grave concern worldwide. The first such announcement of higher tariffs came last April. Implementation was then postponed for three months. During this time, several countries tried through negotiations to reduce the imposed tariff rates. Most were successful. For instance, an additional 37 percent tariff was initially imposed on Bangladeshi exports. Vietnamese exports faced 46 percent, Indian exports 26 percent, and Chinese exports a staggering 125 percent. Later, however, tariffs on Chinese exports were reduced to 30 percent.
From compliance to competitiveness: Bangladesh’s readiness for ESPR in EU market
EU’s Eco-design and Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) entered into force from July 2024, as a part of the package of measures for transition to circular economy. EU besets their environmental and climate goals, circularity and energy efficiency targets by 2030. For specific products, such as textiles and steel ESPR will be implementable from 2026. ESPR contains a number of new measures of which digital product passport (DPP), rules to address destruction of unsold consumer goods, green public procurement etc. For transformation process from compliance to competitiveness government ownership and private sector earnestness is imperative.
Why poverty increasing in country
For more than three years, people’s real income has failed to keep pace with the high inflation gripping the domestic economy. As a result, households across all classes and professions are under pressure.
A Policy Fallacy Rooted in Over-Licensing and Weak Oversight
Bangladesh, with a GDP of around USD 460 billion in 2025, has one of the most over-licensed financial sectors in South Asia. It currently hosts 61 scheduled banks, 38 non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), over 750 licensed microfinance institutions (MFIs), alongside 13 mobile financial service (MFS) providers, 9 payment service providers (PSPs), and 12 payment system operators (PSOs). These institutions are regulated by four bodies: Bangladesh Bank (BB), the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), the Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA), and the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC). Yet financial inclusion remains suboptimal. A substantial segment of the population, including many in urban areas, remains excluded from formal financial services.
Bangladesh’s victory and defeat in US tariff war
After three rounds of discussion, Bangladesh has managed to reduce the increased tariff imposed on its products in the US market from 35 percent to 20 percent. This is not only positive for the country's economy but also a diplomatic success for the interim government. Because when on April 2, US President Donald Trump first announced the rate of additional tariffs on various countries, he stated that a 37 percent additional tariff would be levied on Bangladeshi products. Later, that tariff was suspended temporarily for three months. Trump informed Dr Yunus in a letter that instead of 37, the tariff amount on Bangladesh would be 35 percent, after reducing it by 2 percent.
Reciprocal Tariff by USA - its Impact on Bangladesh Economy
The announcement of Reciprocal Tariff (RT) on April 2, 2025 on 108 countries ranging from 11-49% by the president Donald Trump has shaken the world irrespective of size of the economy and the amount of trade deficit USA is running with the concerned countries. The trade deficit of US was USD 918.4 billion in 2024, total US exports with the rest of the world is USD 3.12 trillion and total imports were USD 4.11 trillion as per the available information. US constantly enjoying surplus in services export, which was USD 1.15 trillion, and import was 0.841 trillion in 2024. USA did not mention services export issues anywhere whereas services export throughout the world is growing and will dominate the future trade.