The Dhaka Stock Exchange's (DSE) mobile trading app recorded a sharp decline in registered users in FY2025-26 despite a surge in trading value, highlighting a shift in how investors access Bangladesh's capital market.

DSE data show investors traded shares worth Tk28,794 crore through the app over 239 trading days during the fiscal year, up 78.93% from Tk16,092 crore a year earlier. The growth outpaced the broader market, raising the app's share of total DSE turnover to 16.67% from 14.49% in FY2024-25. In effect, nearly Tk17 of every Tk100 traded on the exchange was executed through the mobile platform.

However, registered users fell 37% to 16,313 from 26,067, while submitted orders dropped to 80.4 lakh from 89.9 lakh and executed orders declined to 78.7 lakh from 83.2 lakh.

The figures suggest fewer investors are using the DSE app, but those remaining are trading significantly larger volumes.

According to DSE officials and market participants, the main reason is the rapid adoption of proprietary Order Management System (OMS) platforms by brokerage houses. Investors are increasingly abandoning the DSE's centralised app in favour of dedicated applications offered by their brokers.

DSE Director Md Sajedul Islam told The Business Standard that more than 50 brokerage firms have launched their own OMS platforms.

"Once a brokerage house introduces its own trading application, its clients naturally migrate from the DSE mobile app. As more brokerage firms adopt proprietary OMS platforms, the number of users on the DSE app continues to decline," he said.

Market participants said leading brokerages now offer faster trade execution, better interfaces, real-time market alerts, portfolio tracking and other advanced features, making their apps more attractive than the DSE platform.

They added that concerns over the DSE app's service quality have also accelerated the migration, leaving it largely used by smaller brokerage firms without in-house OMS platforms.

Brokerage executives said weak market conditions also reduced retail participation.

Saiful Islam, president of the DSE Brokers Association of Bangladesh (DBA), said last year's sluggish market discouraged many retail investors, reducing active beneficiary owner (BO) accounts.

"Young investors are the primary users of mobile trading applications. As market turnover is now recovering, we expect both mobile trading activity and the number of users to increase if the market maintains its positive momentum," he said.

Market experts said the shrinking user base is not necessarily negative if investors are moving to more advanced brokerage platforms, as it reflects growing digital competition. However, if it stems from declining retail participation, it may indicate a deeper structural weakness.

They said the DSE must upgrade its mobile platform with better user experience, faster execution, modern trading tools and stronger integration with brokerage systems, while broadening retail participation so that mobile trading growth is driven by more investors rather than a smaller group of high-value traders.

Private sector credit growth edged up to 4.98% in May from 4.75% in April, but weak loan demand continues to push banks towards government securities as a key source of earnings.

With businesses borrowing less, banks have increasingly relied on investment income from treasury bills, bonds and other government securities rather than traditional interest income. The trend marks a sharp reversal from 2021, when interest income accounted for the bulk of banks' earnings.

Bankers and analysts attribute the shift to sluggish private investment, rising non-performing loans (NPLs) and weak loan recovery from several large business groups.

They say political and economic uncertainty has also discouraged fresh investment, prompting banks to channel excess liquidity into government securities, which offer attractive yields and carry virtually no credit risk.

Requesting anonymity, a treasury head at a commercial bank told The Business Standard that income from treasury bills and bonds is recorded as investment income.

State-owned Sonali Bank's net interest income fell by more than Tk1,100 crore in 2025 to Tk337.23 crore from Tk1,490 crore a year earlier. In contrast, its investment income rose to Tk9,799 crore from Tk6,414 crore.

Eastern Bank's annual report showed net interest income declined 7% in 2025, while non-interest income increased 32%.

BRAC Bank reported a 13% fall in net interest income in 2025 after a 24% decline in 2024. Meanwhile, its investment income jumped 78% in 2025 following a 181% surge the previous year.

The contrast is stark with 2021, when the country's 52 major banks generated a combined Tk40,793 crore in income, with interest income contributing 47% of the total.

A deputy managing director of a private bank said many businesses scaled back or shut operations following the fall of the Awami League government, sharply reducing demand for bank credit.

Several factories owned by large business groups, including Nassa Group, Beximco Group and Gazi Group, have closed, while many others are operating at only 30-40% of capacity, he said. "When factories were operating normally, they imported capital machinery. Now even those that remain open have cut production by 60-70%."

A senior commercial banker said sustainable banking growth ultimately depends on expanding credit rather than investment in government securities. While treasury bills and bonds currently provide attractive returns, lower yields in future could reduce banks' investment income.

Stronger private-sector borrowing, he said, remains essential for both banks and the broader economy.

The government has decided to continue export incentives and cash assistance for 43 sectors in fiscal year (FY) 2026-27, despite having its previous plan to phase out such subsidies ahead of Bangladesh's LDC graduation.

The Foreign Exchange Policy Department (FEPD) of Bangladesh Bank (BB) in a circular on Sunday said the revised incentive structure will remain applicable for export shipments between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027.

The export support was available for 43 sectors in the entire previous fiscal year from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

The government maintained the incentive support for both traditional and non-traditional export sectors, aiming to help sustain their competitiveness in global markets.

However, some changes have been brought in the export support for footwear and bags that are made from a blend of synthetic and fabric materials.

Under the change, exporters of footwear and bags made from synthetic-fabric blends, which do not avail customs bond or duty drawback facilities, will receive the full cash incentive, with the rate keeping unchanged at 8.00 per cent.

In contrast, under the revised second category, exporters using bond or duty drawback facilities will see a drastic cut in their support to 2.00 per cent from the previous level of 8.0 per cent.

Under the highest incentive bracket, exporters of diversified jute goods with at least 50 per cent local value addition, leather products, agricultural and agro-processed items, potatoes, light engineering products, 'halal' processed meat and accumulator batteries will receive 10 per cent cash assistance. Insights

In the textile sector, exporters will get 1.5 per cent alternative cash support against customs bond and duty drawback facilities, while shipments to Eurozone countries will qualify for an additional 0.5 per cent special incentive.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the readymade garment sector, including knitwear, woven garments and sweaters, will continue to enjoy an additional 3.0 per cent cash support.

For the jute sector, incentives have been fixed at 5.0 per cent for hessian, sacking and carpet backing cloth (CBC), while jute yarn and twine exports will receive 3.0 per cent support.

Under the technology segment, software, hardware and information technology-enabled services (ITES) exports will get 6.0 per cent incentives, while freelance IT professionals will receive 2.5 per cent cash support.

The central bank also retained 6.0 per cent incentives for a number of emerging manufacturing sectors, including furniture, plastic products, paper and paper goods, pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical equipment, motorcycles, ceramic items and bicycles and their parts.

However, the BB has instructed banks concerned to ensure strict compliance and verification before disbursing the incentives.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Sunday warned taxpayers against fraudsters posing as tax officials and demanding money on the pretext of exempting tax files from audits.

In a press statement, the revenue authority said it had recently noticed that a group of scammers has been contacting taxpayers from different mobile phone numbers, falsely claiming that their tax files have been selected for audit.

The fraudsters reportedly offer exclusion of the files from audit or threaten taxpayers with legal complications unless they pay money, the NBR said.

The revenue board clarified that its officials never communicate with taxpayers regarding tax audits through personal mobile phone numbers or any unauthorised channels.

If a tax file is selected for audit, the taxpayer is informed only through an official written notice in accordance with the law.

The NBR also reminded taxpayers that all tax payments, fees and other government dues must be deposited directly into the state treasury through authorised government payment channels.

No tax official is authorised to receive money personally or through mobile financial services such as bKash, Rocket or Nagad, or through any personal bank account.

Taxpayers have been advised to verify the authenticity of any suspicious phone call, SMS or email by immediately contacting the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Taxes in their respective tax zones.

The revenue authority further urged taxpayers to report any individual impersonating an NBR official and demanding money to the nearest law enforcement agency and to preserve the caller's phone number as evidence.

Reaffirming its commitment to providing transparent and harassment-free taxpayer services, the NBR requested all taxpayers to remain vigilant and refrain from making any financial transactions with such fraudsters under any circumstances.

The government has retained export cash incentive rates for 43 sectors in the 2026-27 fiscal year to encourage the country's export trade, according to a Bangladesh Bank circular issued today (5 July).

The Foreign Exchange Policy Department of the central bank said the incentive rates, unchanged from the previous fiscal year, will apply to goods shipped between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.

Under the revised guidelines, alternative cash assistance for export-oriented domestic textiles has been maintained at 1.5%, while an additional 0.5% special incentive for textile exports to the eurozone will continue.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector will continue to receive an additional 3% incentive, while exporters expanding into new products or new markets in the textile sector will be eligible for 2% support. A special cash incentive of 0.3% for the RMG sector has also been retained.

The government has also maintained strong support for agriculture and jute exports. Agricultural and processed agricultural products, as well as potato exports, will continue to receive a 10% incentive. Diversified jute products and leather goods will each receive 10%, while handicraft exports will remain eligible for 6% cash assistance.

Among emerging sectors, software and IT-enabled services (ITES) exports will continue to receive a 6% incentive, while freelancers will be eligible for 2.5% support. Pharmaceutical exports will receive 6%, while active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) exports will qualify for 5% cash assistance.

The incentive rates for ship exports and furniture exports have also been kept unchanged at 6% and 8%, respectively.

Bangladesh Bank said applications for export incentives must be audited by audit firms approved by the central bank. All other conditions and guidelines stipulated in previous circulars regarding the disbursement of export incentives will remain in force.

As many as 44 closed, loss-making or partly operational state-owned enterprises are ready to welcome private investors as the government seeks to revive idle industrial assets and attract fresh investment.

“We are inviting investors to partner in reviving state-owned enterprises through private sector investment,” Ashik Chowdhury, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), announced yesterday as the authority unveiled details of the factories.

The sites cover about 10,000 acres, and most already have gas, electricity and other essential infrastructure in place.

Businesses will be able to use idle land and underused assets through a range of investment models, including local and foreign investment, joint ventures, public-private partnerships and other strategic arrangements.

Officials said the sites offer opportunities for investment in electric vehicles, green steel, lithium batteries, packaging paper, agro-processing, textiles, chemicals, logistics and renewable energy.

“This offers a win-win opportunity: businesses can expand using ready industrial facilities, while the government benefits from increased employment and reduced fiscal pressure,” said Bida Executive Chairman Ashik.

At a meeting with prominent industrialists and business leaders last month, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assured both domestic and foreign investors of full cooperation and policy support to revive the factories.

The factories fall under five state corporations -- Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC), Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) and Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC).

They span major industrial sectors and are spread across the country’s major industrial belts.

Under the Bangladesh Steel Engineering Corporation, there are four industries, with three being operational but having unused land.

Of the 10 units under the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), four factories are closed and two have become sick.

Of the 13 mills under the BSFIC, five are closed while the rest are operational.

In the case of the 13 mills under the BTMC, the tender process is underway for running most of the factories under a public-private partnership. The BJMC has five closed mills that have investable land with old structures.

The premises of two factories -- Latif Bawany Jute Mills Ltd and Karim Jute Mills Ltd -- are being converted into economic zones under the BEZA. The areas of two mills could be used for urban development, according to Bida.

Of the investment opportunities identified so far, only BCIC has disclosed a quantified investment pipeline, estimated at Tk 54,685 crore. The Ministry of Industries says the total investment potential across all state-owned enterprises runs into several billion dollars.

According to Bida, some assets could be revived for their original purpose, while others may be repurposed for industries that reduce import dependence or boost exports.

Ashik said investors would be offered transparent investment structures, faster approvals and coordinated government support.

He said the government believes the private sector is better placed to operate commercial enterprises efficiently, while the state should focus on facilitating investment rather than competing with private businesses.

Officials said ownership of the industrial units would remain with the government, with private sector participation taking place through lease and rental arrangements.

Mohammad Sabbir Awwal, additional chief engineer of Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation, said the government plans to attract private investment to make productive use of idle land and underused assets while retaining public ownership of the enterprises.

He acknowledged that private investment procedures are often lengthy but said efforts are under way to speed up approvals.

According to Awwal, Steel and Engineering Corporation has identified investment opportunities at three operating enterprises: Progoti Industries Limited, Eastern Cables Limited and Atlas Bangladesh.

Around 10 acres at Progoti’s Sitakunda facility and more than 6 acres at Atlas have remained unused for years, while Eastern Cables also has substantial idle land.

The corporation is also seeking investors for a proposed green steel mill in Bogura through joint venture or public-private partnership arrangements, said Sabbir. Several business groups have expressed preliminary interest, although no formal commitments have yet been made.

Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem), said Bangladesh’s previous experience with public asset disposal and privatisation underscored the need for a transparent process.

“I believe there is a need to put unused land to more productive use. However, the process must be transparent, especially given that our past experience has not been very encouraging,” he said.

According to Raihan, industrial land has often been diverted to purposes unrelated to industrial development, undermining the original objectives of such initiatives.

He argued that investors should be selected through a competitive process based on efficiency, capability and long-term business plans, and that investment decisions should align with a broader national strategy for industrialisation.

“In many countries, public sector enterprises operate efficiently through innovative management practices and public-private partnerships. These are areas we should explore,” he said.

Khodaker Golam Moazzem, research director at local think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said the initiative could attract investors because many state-owned industrial sites already have land, gas, electricity and other essential infrastructure.

However, he cautioned that investors would need long-term policy certainty before committing capital.

He also noted that much of the infrastructure at state-owned industrial enterprises is outdated and may have to be demolished or modernised to accommodate new investment.

Rather than requiring investors to revive closed factories, the government should allow them to establish industries that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable, he said.

Moazzem pointed out that many industrial sites, once located outside urban centres, are now surrounded by densely populated areas, making commercial or alternative industrial uses more practical in some cases.

He said the government must ensure that the assets offered are free from legal disputes, financial liabilities and outstanding obligations to banks, workers and other stakeholders.

“Without such assurances, private investors are unlikely to show interest,” he said.

At the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year, Bangladesh's capital market saw a 25% rise in foreign portfolio investors' stock trading activity, both buying and selling, driving total foreign stock turnover to a four-year high.

Yet the market continued to suffer a net capital outflow as foreign investors ultimately pulled more money out of equities than they put in, according to market data and officials.

Although the overall market turnover rose by nearly Tk1,000 crore year-on-year to Tk4,943.09 crore in FY26 from Tk3,943 crore in the previous fiscal year, foreign investors remained net sellers for most of the year.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) data showed that foreign stock turnover in last fiscal year hit a four-year high, matching levels not seen since FY22.

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Heavy foreign selling ahead of the February national election, driven by political uncertainty and macroeconomic concerns, was followed by a brief rebound in inflows after the BNP-led government took office.

However, the momentum faded with the outbreak of the Iran-US conflict, which triggered another wave of foreign selling.

Market insiders attribute this shift to foreign portfolio investors pulling funds from Asian markets to concentrate on highly regulated capital markets, leading them to retreat from Bangladesh.

"Despite increased trading activity, foreign investors remained net sellers for most of the fiscal year, with particularly heavy selling pressure in June," a DSE official said on condition of anonymity.

"Following the assumption of office by the new BNP-led government, foreign portfolio investment in stocks surged as overseas investors poured funds into the market.

However, expectations of sustained foreign inflows faded after the beginning of the US-Iran war, the official added.

"Foreign investors' trading activity has picked up, but their selling volumes still exceed purchases, although the selling pressure has eased somewhat in recent months," said Saiful Islam, president of the DSE Brokers Association (DBA).

He said concerns over Bangladesh's vulnerability to energy price shocks during the Iran-US conflict prompted foreign investors to cut their exposure, adding that participation could recover once geopolitical tensions ease.

Saiful Islam also identified the capital gains tax regime and its calculation method as major impediments to attracting foreign investment, saying the DBA has repeatedly raised the issue with regulators.

"A new commission, comprising a chairman and three commissioners, has taken charge, and we hope that if it introduces initiatives to attract foreign investment, overseas investors will return to the market," he added.

A senior brokerage official said foreign investors have been pulling money from several Asian markets, including Bangladesh and India, to increase investments in developed markets.

"They are moving away from riskier markets and shifting to highly regulated ones. In 2025, foreign investors also withdrew a record amount of capital from the Indian stock market," the official added.

According to a Reuters report, foreign portfolio investors withdrew a record 1.6 trillion rupees ($18 billion) from Indian equities in 2025 amid valuation concerns, weak earnings, geopolitical risks and worries over steep US tariffs on Indian exports.

A previous TBS report showed that foreign capital outflows from Bangladesh's stock market hit a new high in May as overseas investors aggressively cut holdings in blue-chip and fundamentally strong stocks.

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and persistent domestic economic challenges, foreign investors sold shares worth Tk161 crore during the month, while fresh purchases fell to just Tk6 crore.

The sharp imbalance underscores growing risk aversion among global fund managers, who are increasingly favouring liquidity and safe-haven assets over exposure to frontier markets.

The selling was concentrated in blue-chip and fundamentally strong stocks, according to DSE data.

Regulatory panacea works little to resuscitate investment and economic expansion as formal private credit growth stays almost stagnant in signs of prolonged slowdown in Bangladesh's private-sector-led economy.

To breathe life into the $500-billion-plus economy after months of sluggishness, Bangladesh Bank (BB) has taken up numerous remedial measures, including a stimulus package involving Tk 600 billion to revitalise the economy by way of reopening the stalled manufacturing bases across the country,

But the stimulating regulatory moves have worked little to regenerate confidence in the private-sector players yet, as is reflected in the recent data with the central bank.

According to the BB, the private-sector-credit growth reached 4.98 per cent by end of May last -- the third-lowest monthly count in the history of Bangladesh. The previous lowest growth recorded in the previous two months was 4.72 per cent in March and 4.75 per cent in April.

In fact, growth in private-sector credits has hovered around single digits since August 2024, reflecting prolonged sluggishness in the economy, which is largely private-sector-led.

Even in the just-concluded half-yearly monetary policy statement (MPS) for January-to-June period, the central bank made a private-sector-credit-growth projection at 8.50 per cent by end FY'26 but the actual level was much lower.

Such reluctance in investment credits is attributed to banks becoming more cautious amid higher non-performing loan (NPL) regime and private borrowers losing their credit appetite for perceived multiple anti-business factors, like energy crisis, higher cost of funds, exchange-rate shocks, and the existing taxation policy which is deemed not investment-friendly.

Seeking anonymity, a BB official says the regulator, as part of its plan to promote growth and employment, provided policy perks to the struggling borrowers by ways of allowing them to get regularized just paying 2.0 per cent of the outstanding loans as down payment.

Later, he recounts, the central bank eased the down-payment rules in February last as many of such borrowers were facing difficulties to pay 2.0 per cent. Under revised instructions, half of the stipulated amount must be paid at the time of approval, with the remaining 50 per cent due within six months from the date of effect.

"Despite these facilities, the credit growth for private sector has not got momentum yet," he says.

But the central banker appeared optimistic about a spur in the credit demand in the days ahead as the banking regulator announced the Tk 600-billion stimulus package in May last to boost investment.

Simultaneously, the BB official says, the central bank also capped deposit-lending rate spread within 4.0 per cent last month, which will help reduce the cost of formal credits for businesses amid contractionary monetary-policy regime.

While unveiling MPS for July-December of this year on June 30, BB Deputy Governor Dr Md. Habibur Rahman said the central bank projected the private-sector-credit growth to be increased to 5.50 per cent by June last.

President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Mohammad Hatem says entrepreneurs have been hit too hard to survive on the market under these prevailing extreme business-and investment climate.

He lists multiple factors, like ongoing prolonged energy crisis, higher borrowing costs and 'anti-business taxation policy', which make survival of the businesspeople difficult.

"Under such circumstances, who dares think of business expansion? I don't know how the growth (4.98 per cent) has happened and who are the borrowers? Will they be able to repay the loans? I have enough doubt," he says.

Chairman of Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), an apex body of bank shareholders, Abdul Hai Sarker mentions many factors which discourage the investors from putting their hard-earned money in productive ventures.

He says the supply of power and gas to the industries is uncertain.

"By the end of the day, you need power. Everything will become standstill without this basic thing."

Mr. Sarker, a business leader and also Chairman of Dhaka Bank, says a concerning matter is that the government is facilitating foreign investment by developing special economic zones (SEZs) where investors are getting integrated facilities.

But, he adds, local investors who set up manufacturing bases outside the SEZs in a scattered way faced many difficulties in securing such facilities, which badly affected their competitiveness.Bangladesh Investment Guide

"Yes, we want foreign investment but the government should also look at the local investors so that they can remain competitive with their global partners," he told The Financial Express about perceived local-foreign divide.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) PLC Syed Mahbubur Rahman notes that the volume of LC (letter of credit) opening has dropped significantly in recent times because of persisting prolonged economic sluggishness.

Because of the low credit appetite from the private sector, he notes, the commercial banks have intensified their concentration on investing in state-secured government securities -- treasury bills and bonds -- to make some gains amid the ongoing slowdown in economic activity.

The experienced banker thinks the country is basically heading for stagflation as job creation is not taking place and growth is slowing down while inflationary pressure keeps rising.

Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh Dr M Masrur Reaz says the private-sector-credit growth remains a matter of concern for the country for more than a year whereas the growth was over 6.0 per cent.

"Now, it dropped below 5.0 per cent. It goes to severe worrying level from concerning level," he notes.

About the reasons, the economist says Bangladesh under the immediate- past interim government saw scanty reform activities in streamlining trade-and-investment ecosystem here.

As a matter of fact, the business environment significantly weakened in recent times and the recent

crisis in the Middle-Eastern countries worsened the situation further,

according to him.

=The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) has drafted an amendment to its listing regulations to allow direct listing of private and multinational companies through a watered-down procedure.

The board of the premier bourse has approved the draft and sent it to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) for approval.

Direct listing means the listing of any non-listed securities or re-listing of any delisted securities, including those traded in the Over-the-Counter (OTC) market, on the exchanges through offloading existing shares instead of issuing new shares through a public offering.

The listing regulations effective between 2006 and 2015 allowed direct listing of both private and public entities. But a number of private companies, including Khulna Power Company Ltd, offloaded shares in the market at inflated prices, giving undue benefits to sponsor-directors. That prompted imposition of an embargo on direct listing of private firms through an order.

Hence, the withdrawal of the restriction is required prior to amending the listing regulations for the direct listing of private and multinational entities.

The BSEC can repeal its own directive to remove the restriction, said a senior official of the securities regulator.

On the listing of multinational firms, a DSE official said the incumbent commission of the securities regulator has members with experience of working with foreign companies.

"So, they are likely to give inputs to the draft amendment to facilitate the listing of multinational organisations," the DSE official said.

In the draft amendment, the DSE has also proposed removing unnecessary compliance burdens from the listing procedure.

At present, a company willing to enter the secondary market through the direct listing method must have a minimum paid-up capital of Tk 300 million. The DSE wants this rule to be relaxed.

The existing regulations also require a company to show profits in three years out of the immediate past five accounting or financial years with a steady growth pattern. In the draft amendment, the DSE has eased this provision, proposing a requirement of profits for at least two out of five years ahead of the listing. It also suggested flexible rules for share offloading. Presently, a company is required to offload at least 10 per cent of its shares within 30 days of listing. The DSE is in favour of relaxing this provision so that companies can offload shares without feeling undue pressure.

The DSE expects that the simplified listing procedure, if approved, will attract non-listed companies.

On simplifying the listing procedure, DSE Managing Director Nuzhat Anwar said a company under the existing rules needs to submit "a pile of documents" along with the IPO proposal to the securities regulator and stock exchanges.

If the proposed amendment is passed, online submission of documents through any of the bourses' platforms will suffice. The relevant bourse will scrutinise the documents and submit them to the securities regulator.

The existing requirement of dual listing will also be waived. Issuers will have the freedom of choosing one exchange for listing, which will cut down the cost of listing.

"The BSEC chairman has told us that the regulator will facilitate the job of simplifying the listing procedure through more discussions with the Dhaka exchange and issue managers," said Ms Nuzhat.

The Bangladesh Bank has unveiled yet another exit strategy to tackle the country's ballooning non-performing loans, promising to bring them under control within 18 months through stronger supervision, loan restructuring, legal reforms and quicker recovery of distressed assets.

Similar promises were also made before. Successive governments and central bank governors relied on repeated loan rescheduling and regulatory relaxations, yet bad loans climbed to a record Tk5.89 lakh crore, a third of total bank loans. The question now is whether this roadmap marks a genuine break from the past – or, merely another attempt to buy time without fixing the banking system.

Taking office as finance minister of the now deposed Awami League government in January 2019, AHM Mustafa Kamal had said non-performing loans would not grow even by "a single penny from today". He had also promised of an exit plan to stop new loans from turning default. But NPLs continued to soar. And the measures taken by him and two governors during his time rather gave bad borrowers a safe exit and helped banks hide their real health under the carpet.

After the political transition in 2024, the Bangladesh Bank during the interim government's period uncovered the true scale of distress in several banks and launched emergency measures, including asset quality reviews, bank mergers, and efforts to recover stolen assets.

Before those measures could see preliminary success, the new government took office earlier this year. New central bank governor Mostaqur Rahman, in his first half-yearly monetary policy statement made on 30 June, outlined a long-term roadmap to tackle NPL within the next 18 months. His plan combines stronger supervision, capital restoration, restructuring for viable borrowers, quicker loan recovery through courts, emergency liquidity support, and implementation of the new Bank Resolution and Deposit Protection Acts.

The day before, the central bank announced a mega offer. As part of its bid to bring NPL under control to comply with the International Monetary Fund's new loan requirements, the central bank will now allow banks to waive interest on loans entirely in case of one-time settlement, meaning that defaulters would not have to pay any interest if they repay the principal amount only.

Analysts have cautioned such an offer might adversely affect capital positions of banks, particularly the cash-strapped ones.

Banks lend depositors' money, not their own. Waiving interest may clean up balance sheets, but it also erodes income. Who will bear that loss? Depositors? Shareholders? Bankers? Or, ultimately taxpayers if public money is used to recapitalise banks?

Countries that successfully brought down NPLs after banking crises rarely relied on a single measure. Instead, they combined swift recognition of bad assets, bank recapitalisation, specialised asset management companies (AMCs), legal reforms, and strict accountability. Experience from Asia, Europe and the United States shows that governments were often able to recover much of the public money used to rescue banks.

Following the Asian financial crisis, South Korea created its AMC named KAMCO to purchase distressed loans, while Malaysia established Danaharta to restructure viable borrowers and dispose of unviable assets. Both helped banks clean up balance sheets and resume lending.

Similar steps helped Sweden, Ireland and the USA overcome their banking crises in the 1990s.

But not every AMC did see similar success. Such initiatives in Indonesia and Nigeria did not yield much due to weaker governance and legal challenges.

International experiences suggest that the AMC is not a cure by itself if it is not backed by a comprehensive national strategy involving strong bank supervision, operational independence, legal reforms, out-of-the-court debt restructuring and development of a market for distressed loans.

These instruments succeed only when governments are willing to recognise losses, pursue influential defaulters and insulate the recovery process from political interference.

For Bangladesh, all these principles are yet to be tested, though Governor Mostaqur expects AMCs to become effective by 2027. Experience of Ukraine and Turkey in tackling bad loans has made him hopeful about the success of his exit plan, which, he said, will be supported by necessary legal reforms and strong monitoring.

Economist Dr M Masrur Reaz says the latest exit plan announced by the central bank is a welcome step, compared with previous bad practice of loan rescheduling that only kept NPLs soaring. "All defaulters are not wilful. The one-time settlement will provide good borrowers an exit."

Masrur, who is chairman of the think tank Policy Exchange Bangladesh, said the central bank should now sit with lending banks to discuss how they would implement the new scheme successfully and what support they might need.

The government needs to make the AMC a reality. Such initiative worked well in countries like the Philippines and India, he pointed out.

Masrur attributes "policy inertia" and abuse of political and business power to failure of previous steps to contain bad loans in Bangladesh.

He hoped it might work this time. "Those who abused power in the past have lost their business. Many of them even had to flee the country. These should be a strong safeguard against such abuses in future," he said.

Besides, he added, development partners such as the IMF and the World Bank have strictly attached NPLs and bank governance to their budget support packages, obliging the government to "walk the talk".

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has completed just 28.56 percent of its share of a nationwide project to modernise flood control, drainage and irrigation infrastructure and help farmers cope with climate shocks, forcing a two-year extension from the initial deadline of June 30, 2026.

The findings were revealed in an impact evaluation report of the project released last week by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the planning ministry.
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The report assessed the implementation progress of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Water Management Project as of April 2026, when cumulative financial expenditure stood at just 17.22 percent of the approved cost of Tk 1,182 crore.

Of the total estimated cost, Tk 332 crore will be funded by the government and Tk 850 crore by the World Bank. The project was scheduled to run from 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2026 across 27 upazilas in 17 districts spanning all eight divisions.

However, with it being clear the project cannot be completed on schedule, the Project Steering Committee, at a meeting on 17 May 2026, recommended a two-year extension, said the report.

The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on 7 December 2021.

A revised implementation plan is being prepared, pushing the completion date to June 2028.

THE DELAY

According to the IMED report, during the initial phase of the project, the recruitment of consultants took approximately 2.5 years due to the World Bank’s approval process.

As a result, no civil works contracts could be tendered or awarded during this period, causing delays in the commencement of construction activities at the outset of the project, it mentioned.

It also said the implementation of construction works under the project has been delayed due to complexities associated with land acquisition.

In addition, the establishment of markets and residential settlements adjacent to the flood control embankments has significantly increased land values, making the acquisition of land and the sourcing of suitable earth for construction more difficult.

The IMED report also said under a service package, the project’s proposal stipulated that the procurement expert would be engaged on 8 March 2022.

However, the contract was actually signed on 12 February 2023, resulting in a delay of nearly one year before the expert was appointed, it said.

In the absence of an expert, the project office prepared the draft requests for proposals and carried out procurement evaluations during the first eleven months of project implementation.

As these documents did not fully comply with the World Bank’s procurement requirements and standards, the development partner repeatedly raised queries and requested revisions, significantly prolonging the procurement process.

Consequently, approximately 2.5 years were spent before the procurement process could be brought into compliance, it added.

DELAY WAS AVOIDABLE

The IMED report said the delay was avoidable.

It explained that the procurement expert should have been recruited at least three months prior to the invitation of bids for the first works package.

Moreover, while the recruitment of the design consultant was in progress, the project office could have utilised its own engineers or the implementing agency’s technical team to prepare draft standard procurement documents and pre-qualification criteria for the remaining procurement packages.

This would have enabled the procurement expert, upon joining in February 2023, to review and finalise the documents promptly, allowing the work packages to be tendered before 2024 and minimising delays in project implementation.

RISING COST

With the project’s two-year extension, the cost is now expected to rise as well.

Escalating prices of construction materials, higher labour wages, increased fuel prices, rising transportation costs, and overall market inflation will require additional financial resources to complete the remaining works, the IMED said.

Furthermore, as the project is financed through external loan assistance, the extension may result in additional financial and administrative burdens.

According to IMED, the two-year extension could result in higher commitment charges, front-end fees, loan management costs, administrative complications arising from delayed disbursements, and the risk of renegotiating or revising the loan conditions.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To sustain the project’s benefits long-term, the IMED recommends turning water management organisations into more effective and participatory institutions.

It also recommends strengthening the participation of local fishers, women, and smallholder farmers; establishing user-based operation and maintenance funds; providing training on gate operation and water management; and introducing digital water management systems.

To maintain the effectiveness of the re-excavated canals and rivers, the report recommends installing silt traps and implementing regular maintenance dredging programmes.

It also suggests introducing an IoT-based automated water control system to monitor river water levels and upstream flood flows in real time.

For riverbank protection works specifically, it calls for digital weighing devices to verify geobag weight, regular field supervision by engineers, proper curing of concrete blocks, and prompt repair of weakened embankment sections.

In a sweeping commitment to modernise Bangladesh's capital market, the newly appointed Chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), Masud Khan, has vowed to dismantle the "analog hurdles" and "bureaucratic pains" that have long stifled the country's bourses.

Addressing a meet-and-greet programme organised by the DSE Brokers Association of Bangladesh (DBA) on 2 July at the DSE Tower, the BSEC chief promised to transition the market into a digital-first, transparent, and vibrant ecosystem.

His vision rests on a fundamental mantra: "Regulate where necessary and simplify where possible." From ending the culture of paper-based trade orders to introducing condensed quarterly reporting, the Chairman's roadmap signals a decisive shift toward deregulation and institutional empowerment.

Ending the 'analog' risk

One of the most significant reforms announced is the total digitisation of share trading orders. Masud Khan sharply criticised the existing practice where clients sign physical papers to authorise traders, often leading to unauthorised sales and misappropriation of funds.

"Our current share buy-sell orders are still paper-based. Clients sign a paper without even verifying what is written, giving traders the power to move their assets. Later, we see disputes where shares were sold against the client's will," Masud Khan observed.

"This analog system must end. We will introduce a system where clients place their own orders digitally, as is the global standard. Once we stop the analog method, no one will be able to embezzle investor funds."

Stopping the 'love letters'

Drawing from his 45 years of corporate experience, including his tenure as CFO of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh, Khan empathised with the "pain" of compliance reporting.

He noted that currently, listed companies are often harassed with dozens of queries – which he jokingly referred to as "love letters" – from both the DSE and BSEC after every quarterly submission.

"I have carried this pain with me to this office. Today, I stand here to say this pain will stop," Khan declared. He announced that the BSEC will introduce IAS 34 (Interim Financial Reporting) to allow for "condensed" quarterly reports.

"Beyond IAS 34, no additional queries will be sent for quarterly results. Detailed reporting will only be required for annual statements. We want to reduce the burden on companies so they can focus on growth," Masud Khan stated.

IPO and bond market: Breaking the stagnation

Addressing the long-standing drought of quality listings, the BSEC Chairman acknowledged that current IPO rules are far from "friendly." He compared the ease of securing a bank loan within three months to the years-long, exhausting process of going public.

"I know the pain of the IPO process. We are going to simplify these rules significantly through amendments," he said, adding that he would soon meet with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), the stock exchanges, and the Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) to streamline the process.

Regarding the bond market, Khan questioned why corporate bonds are not getting listed or traded. He attributed the failure to "abnormally high" listing fees and promised to slash costs to encourage trading. "If we want a fixed-income option, it must be traded so people can decide its value. Corporate bonds need to be part of the daily market activity."

Legal reforms and the 'junk' share ghost

Masud Khan also highlighted a major technical flaw in the Capital Market Tribunal, which currently forces cases through civil courts before they can reach the tribunal, rendering the body ineffective. "We are amending the law so that capital market cases can be filed directly with the tribunal, ensuring swift justice," he said.

In a stern warning to market manipulators, the chairman noted that currently, the shares that "keep jumping" are often junk stocks of closed companies. To combat this, he announced the imminent launch of a robust, real-time integrated surveillance system between the BSEC, DSE, and CDBL.

"There will be triggers to halt and release trading automatically. This is the only way to control the 'uninformed, illiterate' speculation that dominates the floor today," he added.

Brokers push for netting and the 'FINRA' model

The DBA leadership, led by President Saiful Islam and Senior Vice President Moniruzzaman, presented their own set of demands to align with the BSEC's reform agenda. A primary concern was the Member Margin Requirement. Currently, brokers are forced to maintain margins based on gross "buy" amounts with the stock exchanges, regardless of their "sell" volume.

"The settlement is done on a net basis, but we are burdened with margins on a gross basis. This forces us to borrow hundreds of crores from banks unnecessarily," Moniruzzaman explained. He also urged the DSE to align with the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) in accepting cheques as valid instruments for trading.

DBA President Saiful Islam called for a long-overdue review of the 2013 Demutualisation Scheme to further empower the exchanges. He also proposed a transformative shift for market intermediaries: the creation of a Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO), similar to the US FINRA or Japan's JSDA models.

"We want the BSEC to focus on policy while a separate body monitors and governs market intermediaries. This would reduce the regulator's burden and take our market to the next level," Saiful Islam said.

He also voiced a shared sentiment that the BSEC should never again be involved in "so-called roadshows," as seen under the previous regime.

A sustainable future

The programme concluded with remarks from DSE Chairman Mominul Islam, who urged for "investment-friendly regulations" while stressing that the industry must also develop its own internal capacity to comply with new standards.

Riad Mahmud, President of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC), added that the limitations on the utilisation of IPO proceeds should be withdrawn to allow companies operational flexibility.

Masud Khan ended the session with a pledge of action: "We want this capital market to grow sustainably, not through artificial booms. We are not just here to listen; we are here to execute. We will do it together."

Oil prices were little changed for the week as traders held on to hopes for a successful outcome from attempts to secure peace between the US and Iran.

Brent futures were up 14 cents, or 0.19 percent, at $71.94 a barrel by 2:31 p.m. ET (1831 GMT), ending the week just 5 cents lower than last Friday’s close. West Texas Intermediate was up 9 cents, or 0.13 percent, at $68.78 a barrel.

Trading was light as US markets were closed ahead of the US Independence Day holiday on Saturday. On Thursday, the two oil benchmarks had hit their lowest levels since before the US-Israeli war with Iran began in late February.

Investor hopes for a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are being buoyed by peace talks between the US and Iran, Commerzbank analysts said.

The proportion of individuals using the internet across Bangladesh continued its upward climb in the third quarter of the current fiscal year, according to the latest quarterly report of the ICT Access and Use Survey 2025-26, published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Meanwhile, in the same period, mobile phone ownership recorded a marginal dip after two consecutive quarters of growth.

The report, covering the January-March 2026 quarter, found that 58.6 percent of individuals aged five years and above used the internet, up from 58.4 percent in the second quarter (October-December 2025) and a sharp rise from 48.9 percent in the first quarter (July-September 2025).

Mobile phone ownership, however, edged down slightly to 65.4 percent in the third quarter from 65.5 percent in the second quarter, after rising steeply from 56.5 percent in the first quarter.

Despite the dip in ownership, overall mobile phone usage — which includes shared devices — rose marginally to 89.5 percent in the third quarter from 89.4 percent in the previous quarter and 80.6 percent in the first quarter.

Computer use among individuals also inched up, reaching 11.7 percent in the third quarter, compared with 11.4 percent in the second quarter and 10 percent in the first, indicating a slow but steady increase in digital device adoption.

At the household level, the survey — conducted through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) across all 64 districts — found that internet access rose to 57.4 percent of households in the third quarter from 57.2 percent in the second quarter and 56.2 percent in the first.

Comparing full-year figures, household internet access has climbed from 55.1 percent in 2024-25 to 57.4 percent in the current survey year so far.

Mobile phone ownership at the household level remained virtually saturated at 98.9 percent throughout all three quarters, unchanged from the previous year.

The proportion of households owning a smartphone rose slightly to 73.4 percent in the third quarter from 73 percent in the second quarter and 72.4 percent in the first, continuing a gradual upward trend from 72.7 percent recorded in 2024-25.

Ownership of computers at the household level, meanwhile, showed only marginal movement, dipping to 8.9 percent in the second quarter before recovering to 9 percent in the third quarter, broadly flat compared with 9 percent in 2024-25.

Other indicators showed limited change. The proportion of households with a television dipped slightly to 58.8 percent in the third quarter from 59.2 percent in the second quarter, while radio ownership remained largely static at around 15 percent throughout the year.

Fixed-line telephone ownership continued its long-term decline, falling to 0.7 percent of households from 0.8 percent in 2024-25, as mobile phones remained the dominant mode of household connectivity, with 98.2 percent of households relying exclusively on mobile phones.

Household access to electricity showed a slight downward trend over the year, falling from 98.9 percent in the first quarter to 98.5 percent in the third quarter, though it remained near-universal nationwide.

The ICT Access and Use Survey, conducted under the BBS project titled "Measurement of ICT access and use opportunities at individual and household level, district-wise", is the second large-scale, and the first district-representative, survey of its kind, following an earlier modular survey conducted in 2013.

It covers 2,568 sample areas nationwide, gathering data from 61,632 households per quarter, amounting to 246,528 households annually, through 214 trained field enumerators.

The findings, once compiled from all four quarters, will be released as an annual report and will also feed into 22 indicators to be submitted to the International Telecommunication Union, supporting national and global tracking of Sustainable Development Goal targets related to digital access and use.

Government authorities have identified 19 of the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that are posing a "very high financial risk" with a combined liability burden of Tk 2.2238 trillion.

A recent assessment by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has dug out the downside of the public-sector corporates, underscoring urgent reforms.

The findings signify mounting fiscal pressures from the country's public corporate sector while the government finds it difficult to make two ends meet in financing national budget.

A review, conducted by the Finance Division, has found many an SOE financially vulnerable despite their strategic importance to the economy.

Bangladesh currently has 122 state-owned enterprises operating across key sectors, including energy, transport, manufacturing, SME development, and public services.

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) accounts for the largest share of liabilities, with an outstanding debt buildup worth Tk 1.784 trillion. Also in the power sector, Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) carries liabilities of Tk 141.31 billion.

The review has found the financial performance of many SOEs sliding continuously, with overall cost-recovery ratios remaining far below sustainable levels.

Operating revenues are insufficient to fully cover operating costs, while returns on assets and equity remain persistently low, reflecting weak operational efficiency and limited financial viability.

The assessment has also highlighted sizeable contingent liabilities amounting to Tk 345.42 billion.

These represent debt obligations for which the government has provided sovereign guarantees to domestic and foreign lenders.

"Should the borrowing entities fail to meet their repayment obligations, the government would be required to assume responsibility for the liabilities, increasing fiscal risks," the review report cautions.

In addition to loan guarantees, many SOEs continue to rely on substantial budgetary subsidies to sustain operations that further builds up pressure on public finances.

The Finance Division recognizes that SOEs play a critical role in supporting economic development, delivering essential public services and advancing strategic national objectives.

Several of the enterprises contribute directly to energy security, food security, infrastructure development and trade facilitation, making them integral to the country's long-term development agenda.

However, the ministry warns that persistent financial weaknesses across a number of enterprises require continued monitoring and sustained policy attention for a redress.

Without structural reforms, the deteriorating financial position of loss-incurring SOEs could increase fiscal vulnerabilities and reduce the government's capacity to allocate resources to other development priorities.

The report stresses that strengthening corporate governance, enhancing operational efficiency and improving financial sustainability should remain key priorities for policymakers. It says better financial management, stronger accountability and improved commercial performance would help maximise the public value generated by state-owned enterprises while containing the government's fiscal exposure.

The Finance Division adds that building a transparent, accountable and financially sustainable SOE sector is essential for safeguarding macroeconomic stability.

"A stronger public-enterprise sector," it recommends, "would contribute to greater economic resilience, support inclusive growth and help Bangladesh achieve its long-term sustainable- development objectives while reducing the burden on the national budget."

Washington is seeking to move away from unilateral trade preferences and ineffective aid towards a fairer, more reciprocal economic relationship with Dhaka centred on trade, investment and long-term cooperation, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen said yesterday.

“As I’ve said before, America First does not mean America alone,” he said, adding that the US values partnerships that advance mutual interests and benefits. “We want a genuine partnership -- one that creates opportunities for Americans and Bangladeshis alike.”

Bangladesh has the potential to become an increasingly important economic hub due to its dynamic private sector and young workforce, he said at an event marking 250 years of American independence, jointly organised by the US Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) at Sheraton Dhaka.

He described the US-Bangladesh agreement on reciprocal trade and investment as an important step towards expanding economic cooperation, boosting investment, creating jobs and facilitating skills transfer.

The ambassador said Bangladesh’s economic potential can be further unlocked through reducing bureaucracy, tackling corruption, encouraging competition and creating a more business-friendly environment.

He also emphasised growing cooperation in energy and said there is significant potential for collaboration in technology, the digital economy, healthcare, defence, security and investment.

Mahdi Amin, adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, said the BNP-led government is committed to creating a more attractive environment for foreign direct investment (FDI), pledging policy support, deregulation and a level playing field for international investors.

Foreign investment, he said, plays a critical role in generating employment, boosting revenue collection and accelerating growth through technology transfer and innovation.

Amin cited Bangladesh’s large youth population and expanding domestic market as key draws for investors, and pointed to profit repatriation, tax incentives, economic zones and high-tech parks as measures the “pro-business” administration has taken to attract capital.

He called for stronger Bangladesh-US trade and investment ties and urged more American companies to explore opportunities in the country.

Syed Mohammad Kamal, AmCham president, said the chamber has contributed significantly to Bangladesh’s economic growth over the past three decades, supporting investment and knowledge transfer in sectors including telecommunications, the digital economy, garments, medical equipment and aviation.

“AmCham has always tried to be the first point of contact for US investment coming to Bangladesh, and we will continue doing that,” he said, adding that the inclusion of the embassy’s commercial adviser on AmCham’s executive committee would help generate new initiatives to expand business engagement.

Kamal said the chamber remains committed to creating a conducive environment for investment and facilitating stronger connections between US businesses and Bangladesh’s private sector.

Muhammad Ala Uddin Ahmad, vice-president of the AmCham, said the chamber would continue to serve as a bridge between the two countries while promoting a competitive and future-ready Bangladesh.As the US marks the 250th anniversary of its independence, he said, both nations should look ahead with confidence to a new chapter of partnership, friendship and shared success.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) plans to abolish the requirement for listed companies to submit quarterly financial statements and instead introduce mandatory half-yearly financial reporting as part of broader reforms to align Bangladesh's capital market with international standards.

Announcing the move at a programme organised by the DSE Brokers Association (DBA) at the DSE Tower on Thursday (2 July), BSEC Chairman Masud Khan said the existing reporting framework places an unnecessary compliance burden on listed companies.

"We will no longer ask companies to submit three-month financial reports. We will require half-yearly reports, and gradually our reporting framework will be aligned with international standards," he said.

Recalling his experience in corporate affairs, Khan said companies were often required to respond to numerous regulatory queries after submitting quarterly reports.

"When I was responsible for corporate affairs, we had to report every quarter to the regulators – the Dhaka Stock Exchange and the BSEC. After submitting reports, we would receive 10, 20 or even 30 follow-up queries. I have experienced that pain firsthand. Standing here today, I can say this will no longer continue," he said.

The BSEC chairman also announced plans to amend the country's initial public offering (IPO) rules. He said the commission would consult the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) and the Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) before finalising the reforms.

Khan said the regulator is also working to allow pension and gratuity funds to invest in the capital market, noting that these funds are currently invested mainly in national savings certificates and treasury bonds.

He added that the commission had found many such funds operating outside existing trust regulations and would take steps to bring them into compliance.

The BSEC chief also said investors would be allowed to file cases directly with the Capital Market Tribunal after the relevant rules are amended.

"At present, no one can file cases directly with the tribunal because the supporting rules are not in place. We will amend the rules," he said.

During the programme, DBA Senior Vice-President Moniruzzaman urged the regulator to address issues including script netting, introduce a T+0 settlement mechanism and reform member margin requirements.

He also highlighted differences in collateral requirements between the Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges, saying the Chittagong Stock Exchange accepts cheques as collateral while the DSE requires members to deposit the full amount. He called for replacing the existing Tk10 crore free limit with limits based on members' trading capacity.

DBA President Saiful Islam also urged the BSEC to review the DSE's demutualisation scheme to improve transparency in the exchange's operations.

The programme was attended by BSEC Commissioners Tanwir Habib Rahman, Nahid Mahtab and Md Nafeez Al Tarik, DSE Chairman Mominul Islam and other capital market stakeholders.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has asked the concerned officials to quickly complete the process of reopening loss-making and closed state-owned factories through domestic and foreign investment.

He gave the directive in a meeting held to review the procedural progress for resuming operation of the factories at his Tejgaon office today (4 July), said PM's deputy press secretary Hasan Shiplu.

During the meeting, officials reported that many private companies have expressed interest in investing in those factories.

The proposals submitted by the companies for revival of the industries will now undergo feasibility assessments.

The premier emphasised that the entire process must be carried out transparently. He also instructed officials to avoid unnecessary delay and complete the process as quickly as possible.

Industries and Jute and Textiles Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, State Minister for Jute and Textiles Shariful Alam, PM's Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar and secretaries of the relevant ministries and senior officials from various institutions under the ministry of Industries were present.

Mohammad Mohsin has been elected as the president of the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA).

The election was held at the Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View in the port city yesterday.

Mohammad Selim Uddin was elected senior vice-president, while Md Nuruddin Rubel and Gazi Mokarram Ali Chowdhury, respectively, were elected vice-presidents.

Election Board Chairman Md Aftab Uddin announced the results after the vote count.

A total of 71 members cast their ballots out of 84 eligible voters. Some 14 candidates contested 11 executive committee posts, while the presidency was decided uncontested.

The newly elected executive committee also includes Md Jahedul Haque, Taslim Uddin, SM Nurun Nabi, Md Ferdous Wahid, Obaida Asadi, Hosainul Arefin and AKM Saifullah Sayeed.

The election was originally scheduled for October 25 last year but was postponed after the then Election Board resigned.

Listed textile manufacturer Paramount Textile has decided to convert its Tk293 crore investment in subsidiary Dynamic Sun Energy Pvt. Ltd, a 100MW solar power project, into preference shares as part of restructuring its investment.

According to a stock exchange disclosure, Tk200 crore will be converted into convertible non-redeemable preference shares, while the remaining Tk93 crore will be converted into non-convertible redeemable preference shares.

The company said it had made substantial investments in Dynamic Sun Energy, in addition to its equity contribution, to develop the solar project. Paramount Textile holds a 60% stake in the subsidiary.

Under the restructuring, the Tk200 crore investment will be converted into preference shares with a face value of Tk10 each, carrying an annual dividend of 9%. These shares can be converted into ordinary shares within five years from the date of allotment.

The remaining Tk93 crore will be converted into non-convertible redeemable preference shares with the same 9% annual dividend and will be redeemed within five years.

Preference shares generally provide investors with fixed dividend income. Convertible non-redeemable preference shares can be exchanged for ordinary shares but do not have a fixed redemption date, while non-convertible redeemable preference shares cannot be converted into equity and are repaid after a specified period.

The investment restructuring comes as Paramount Textile continues to diversify into renewable energy. Besides Dynamic Sun Energy, the company has investments in associate Paramount BTrac Energy Ltd, a 200MW HSD power plant.

In March this year, it also decided to invest Tk29 crore in Paramount Solar Limited by acquiring a substantial stake in the company.

Despite weaker sales, Paramount Textile has maintained profitability this fiscal year.

During the first nine months of FY26, its revenue fell more than 15% year-on-year, while net profit edged up to Tk96.81 crore from Tk96.41 crore a year earlier.

The company said operating profit declined 14% because of lower revenue. However, a 250% surge in profit from associate companies to Tk36 crore and a 631% increase in other income to Tk10.81 crore offset the decline.

In the January-March quarter, revenue dropped 30% to Tk245.71 crore. Although operating profit fell 25%, quarterly net profit rose 6% to Tk52.65 crore, supported by Tk15.79 crore in earnings from associate companies.

For FY25, Paramount Textile posted a net profit of Tk116.06 crore with earnings per share of Tk6.48 and declared a 12% cash dividend for shareholders.