Bangladesh

Reserve Bank of India Gov. Shaktikanta Das speaks at an IMF event on Jan. 6, in this screenshot captured from the IMF's livestream.
Economy

RBI chief's South Asia prescriptions: productivity, energy security

At IMF event, Shaktikanta Das lists priorities for stable growth in troubled region

6 January 2023
The U.S. and Russia have been locked in a war of words over diplomatic approaches in Bangladesh. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
International relations

Bangladesh human rights controversy sparks U.S.-Russia spat

Moscow trumpets noninterference; Washington asks, 'Does that apply to Ukraine?'

28 December 2022
An MRT-6 test run in Dhaka: The line promises to help at least some commuters avoid the city's clogged streets. (Photo by Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Transportation

Bangladesh to open Japan-backed metro line on Wednesday

Experts say launch is a positive step but won't solve congestion on its own

27 December 2022
Rohingya refugees on a navy vessel headed to the Bangladeshi island of Bhasan Char in 2020.
Myanmar Crisis

At least 180 Rohingya feared dead: U.N. refugee agency

'Unseaworthy' boat that left Bangladesh has likely sunk, UNHCR says

26 December 2022
Supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party shout slogans during a massive rally in Dhaka on Dec. 10, in which they called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step aside and install a caretaker government.
Politics

Bangladesh government digs in against protests as economy teeters

Experts warn of 2023 debt challenge and election considered unlikely to be fair

13 December 2022
U.S.-based think tank ITIF has linked a 1-unit rise on a data restrictiveness index to a 0.5% drop in annual trade for five markets in Asia. (Source photos by Rie Ishii and Reuters)
Technology

Data curbs from Vietnam to Indonesia to hit trade by up to 9%: study

Asia learned 'all the wrong lessons' of China tech crackdown, think tank says

12 December 2022
A factory in Vietnam operated by Matsuoka Corporation, a Uniqlo supplier. (Photo courtesy of Matsuoka Corporation)
Business trends

Vietnam, Cambodia draw Japanese apparel makers away from China

Uniqlo suppliers and others lured by lower labor costs and RCEP tariff reductions

8 December 2022
Garment workers check shirt measurements at a factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh. Officials in the key sector are hopeful after better-than-expected exports in November.
Economy

Bangladesh sees economic ray of light as exports, remittances rise

Encouraging November data raises hopes for avoiding deeper South Asia crisis

5 December 2022
Stream article image
Women's Wealth

Asia's female financial firepower surges to record highs

Combined wealth of women in Asia now world's second-highest, but systemic issues challenge equality

5 December 2022
Germany-based Robotextile is one of several companies attempting to bring more automation to garment marking, an industry that still relies heavily on human labor. (Photo courtesy of Robotextile)
Business trends

Can 'gripper' robots shift garment making from Asia to the West?

New tech could make production less labor intensive but energy costs may be issue

15 November 2022
Activists protest during the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
COP27

India, Bangladesh crank up pressure for more climate funding

Industrialized and developing countries still far apart on issue at COP27

15 November 2022
Residents move belongings to safety as the Teesta River swells in Bangladesh in 2016. The country is eyeing ways to better manage the waterway -- possibly with China's help.
International relations

China open to role in Bangladesh river project under India's nose

Beijing's envoy expresses concern Dhaka might back out over 'outside pressure'

14 November 2022
Employees dine at a garment factory in Dhaka: Bangladesh has struck a preliminary deal with the IMF to help stave off an economic crisis.
Economy

Bangladesh confidence lifts with IMF loan but tough reforms await

Officials cheer while experts warn against counting chickens too early

10 November 2022
A pharmacy serves customers by candlelight during a blackout in Dhaka in early October.
Economy

China offers to help Bangladesh keep lights on as outages bite

Envoy says Beijing wouldn't 'sit idle' if industry-crippling power crisis worsens

2 November 2022
Vendors light candles at a market in Dhaka during a blackout in early October. The government's energy adviser recently said the power problems are "all about foreign exchange."
Economy

IMF visits Bangladesh as short-term debt adds to reserve fears

Forex coffers at lowest level in over two years, expected to shrink further

26 October 2022
A government bank employee counts money in Dhaka: New deposits in the country's banks have fallen sharply
Economy

Bangladesh's high inflation eats up savings, squeezing banks

Liquidity fears grow after new deposits declined nearly 30% last fiscal year

11 October 2022
A customer hands over Sri Lankan rupee banknotes at an open market in the capital, Colombo. The country is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. 
The Big Story

Asia's ticking debt bomb: Sri Lanka crisis sounds alarm bells across region

Disaster looms in Laos, Bangladesh and elsewhere as China seems reluctant to take losses on Asian loans

3 October 2022
Bangladesh is eager to reduce its reliance on the dollar as its taka depreciates, in part by trading with China in yuan. (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
Economy

Bangladesh aims for yuan trade as cushion against mighty dollar

Shrinking forex coffers spur scramble for alternative currency arrangements

27 September 2022
Rohingya refugees near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in 2017: The South Asian country says it is clamping down on its border amid concerns that more people will try to flee Myanmar.
International relations

Bangladesh fears new Rohingya exodus from fighting in Myanmar

Dhaka stresses 'burden' of hosting refugees, says it cannot accept more

19 September 2022
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed when he was head of telecom Robi Axiata. The former CEO has launched a high-profile lawsuit against the company. (Photo by Arif Mahmud Riad)
Companies

Ex-CEO sues major Bangladesh telco, alleges 'wrongful dismissal'

Outcome to be closely watched by other major companies operating in nation

16 September 2022
With an election on the horizon, many have been hoping Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would push for a breakthrough on sharing Teesta River water with India. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images)
International relations

Bangladesh PM's India trip leaves farmers thirsty for water deal

Hopes for sharing Teesta River shaken as climate change raises urgency

8 September 2022
Maintaining healthy garment exports will be crucial for Bangladesh as the country struggles with dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
Trade

Bangladesh clothing exporters target Asia as Western demand fades

Manufacturers increasingly look to markets such as Japan, South Korea

7 September 2022
Bangladesh's finance minister has blamed money laundering through manipulation of trade invoices for exacerbating the country's trade deficit.
Economy

Bangladesh widens net for laundered billions as forex reserves fall

Government tries mix of sticks and carrots as experts warn of low success rate

6 September 2022
Shoppers inspect Walton refrigerators at a showroom in Dhaka. (Photo by Sumanta Chakraborty)
Companies

Bangladeshi Walton Group CEO eyes top 5 consumer brands club

Appliances-to-electronics conglomerate ramps up global expansion push

5 September 2022
A woman talk with her husband with telecommunications application at Jharabarsha, in a remote farming village in Gaibandha district, Bangladesh: Access to the internet is almost as important as food and water in the modern world.
Opinion

More must be done to narrow Asia's digital divide

Poverty is not just scarcity of food or water, but also lack of access to high tech

3 September 2022