Bangladesh’s ninth national pay-scale process is in its final stage, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said on July 31 while speaking to media at the Secretariat. He said the process to issue a gazette notification for the new salary structure would begin quickly after cabinet approval. However, no final announcement of the ninth pay scale has yet been made.

Bangladesh has announced eight pay scales for public employees since independence, with the latest introduced in 2015. Under that structure, the minimum basic salary rose 101 percent to Tk8,250 and the maximum salary rose 95 percent to Tk78,000. Since then, employees have received annual increments at a fixed rate, currently five percent, but no new formal salary structure has been announced.

In July 2025, the Ninth National Pay Commission recommended salary increases of 100 to 140 percent, proposing a minimum basic salary of Tk20,000 and a maximum of Tk160,000. After taking office, the new government formed a separate committee on April 21 to review recommendations. The minister also said the new pay structure had no connection with obtaining a new IMF loan.

Bangladesh could capture 12 percent of the projected $375 billion global man-made fiber, or MMF, apparel market by 2030 if policy reforms, increased domestic and foreign investment, and stronger industrial capacity are ensured, according to a Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute study. The report says such a shift could reduce the garment sector's dependence on cotton, diversify exports, and strengthen Bangladesh's position in the global apparel market.

The study says the global apparel industry is rapidly moving from cotton-based products toward synthetic and blended-fiber garments, creating an opportunity for Bangladesh to diversify its export products and improve international competitiveness. Although Bangladesh is described as the world's second-largest apparel exporter, its exports remain mainly dependent on cotton-based goods. The report identifies MMF expansion as an economic necessity for maintaining competitiveness in the post-LDC trade environment.

The roadmap recommends rationalising tariffs on MMF raw materials, speeding foreign direct investment approvals, expanding domestic polyester staple fiber and synthetic yarn production, improving access to finance, and developing skilled workers. It also calls for expanded bonded warehouse facilities, specialised loan programmes, technology transfer incentives, and increased production of higher-value activewear, sportswear, and technical textiles.

Twenty-five plots allotted to Fortune Invention and Technology Limited at the Jhalakathi BSCIC industrial estate have not been cancelled despite Tk 14.4 million in unpaid land installments and the absence of a submitted industrial layout. According to BSCIC sources cited in the report, the company received the plots in 2023, accounting for one-third of the estate’s 79 industrial plots. No industrial facility has been established on the allocated land, which remains vacant.

The report says the 25 plots cover 117,000 square feet, although BSCIC rules allow allocations of up to 15,000 square feet. BSCIC issued repeated notices seeking payment of the arrears, but the owners have not taken steps to pay, according to the report. It also notes that the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission had fined Fortune Shoes Limited’s chairman, directors and officials over allegations of failing to distribute dividends and pay listing fees.

BSCIC official Al Amin said Fortune had received reminder letters and a final notice, and a decision to cancel the allocation could emerge at the next meeting. Deputy Commissioner Momin Uddin said a final notice had been issued over the unpaid installments and necessary action would be decided at an upcoming meeting. The report says 51 of the estate’s 79 plots, including Fortune’s 25, are vacant.

Women in Ghonirampur village of Taraganj upazila in Rangpur are producing synthetic shoes exported to the United States, Canada, Germany, Poland, Turkey and other countries. Bling Leather Products, an export-oriented shoe manufacturer established in 2017, operates on 9.5 acres beside a highway about four kilometres from the upazila headquarters. Founded with about Tk250 crore in investment by two brothers who returned from abroad, the late Selim and Hasanuzzaman Hasan, the factory now employs about 3,000 people, around 80 percent of them women.

Worker welfare officer Jesmin Ara said the factory has increased employment and changed local social conditions. The company says it provides a safe working environment, maternity leave, medical services and skills-development training. Workers Joyanta Rani, Aduri Rani and Lovely Begum described using their income to support households, education, savings, debt repayment and livestock rearing.

Company officials said at least 510 current workers had previously worked in Dhaka and other parts of the country before returning for local jobs. The factory produces about 10,000 pairs of shoes daily. After expansion, it expects employment to reach about 34,000 people, with women making up 80 percent. Management also plans to raise daily production to 50,000 pairs and expand into Bangladesh's domestic market.

The government has approved a two-year, 528 crore taka agricultural mechanization project aimed at making the country’s farming sector more modern and technology-driven. Approved recently at an ECNEC meeting, the project will establish 60 “mechanized hubs” in 60 upazilas. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, implementation in the field will begin once the DPP is formally signed, while procurement and related work must be completed by next June.

The government-funded project will purchase 2,174 modern agricultural machines, including combine harvesters, rice transplanters, reapers and other equipment used in rice cultivation and crop harvesting. The machinery will be sourced from five countries, including Japan, Vietnam and China. Making the equipment accessible to farmers, lowering production costs and raising agricultural productivity are among the project’s stated objectives.

The hubs will provide machinery demonstrations, operation and maintenance training, and technical assistance to farmers. Local youths and farmers will receive practical training to become operators and mechanics, with plans for local servicing systems. A national agricultural machinery workshop will be built in Gazipur using government land and existing training infrastructure. Allegations involving administrative discipline and internal coordination are under higher-level review, though project authorities say work will move forward quickly within the set timeframe.

Bangladesh’s job market is facing intense competition, with 159 to 235 applications submitted for each vacancy, according to a Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies research report released Thursday at the BIDS Bhaban auditorium in the capital. Professor Atanu Rabbani, research director of the General Economics Division, presented the report, which highlighted particularly strong competition among entry-level jobseekers.

The study used vacancy advertisements and submitted applications from Bdjobs, described as the country’s largest online job portal, covering data from June 28, 2015, to December 28, 2025. Rabbani said Bangladesh’s informal economy accounts for 85 to 89 percent of the economy, while the Bdjobs data represent 2.5 percent of the formal sector. He said the data still reflect part of the country’s employment market.

Before Covid-19, vacancies received an average of 173 applications, rising to 287 in the post-pandemic period. During lockdowns from March to June 2020, job advertisements fell 70.2 percent and vacancies declined 75.2 percent. The report said the market took about 41 weeks to normalize and remained about 21 percent above expected abnormal levels during 2022-2025. It also noted some easing in the final two quarters of 2025.

Bangladesh Bank has cut its policy interest rate, or repo rate, by 50 basis points to 9.50 percent from 10 percent, ending a 21-month period without a reduction. The decision was taken at the central bank’s 13th Monetary Policy Committee meeting on July 30, chaired by Governor Mostaqur Rahman. The new rate will take effect on August 2.

The central bank said it reviewed domestic and global inflation, domestic investment, private-sector credit flows, employment, economic growth and the balance of external transactions before lowering the rate. Commercial banks will be able to borrow from the central bank at a lower rate than before, and lending rates for customers are expected to decline as a result.

Bangladesh Bank also reduced the Standing Lending Facility rate to 11 percent from 11.50 percent, while keeping the Standing Deposit Facility rate unchanged at 7.50 percent. It said the main aim is to increase investment, create employment and accelerate economic growth. Inflation stood at 9.16 percent at the end of fiscal year 2025-26, while the current fiscal year’s target is 6.50 percent.

Bangladesh Bank has extended by five months the deadline for implementing new rules governing “add money” transfers from bank cards to mobile financial service, or MFS, accounts. In a circular issued Thursday, the central bank said mobile financial service providers and scheduled banks will have until December 31 to implement the requirements.

Under the new instructions, institutions must establish the necessary technical and operational arrangements for card-to-MFS add-money services by the deadline. Customers can currently add funds to MFS accounts using bank debit and credit cards. Bangladesh Bank had issued the new requirements to strengthen security, customer identification verification, or KYC, and transparency in these transactions.

The additional time was provided because banks and MFS institutions need to make required changes to their technological infrastructure and operating procedures. If the requirements are not implemented within the stipulated period, the facility to add money to MFS accounts using cards must be discontinued from January 1, 2027. The circular gives the affected providers and scheduled banks until the end of December to complete the required preparations.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said public money must not be wasted on unplanned projects as in the past. Speaking at a Thursday morning meeting at the Secretariat with senior Energy and Mineral Resources Division officials, he instructed them to establish the justification for every unapproved project. He also stressed setting priorities based on each project’s role in meeting public needs.

Amit highlighted the need for a clear, geographically based and data-driven comprehensive map of the country’s mineral resources. He directed officials to combine fragmented block maps, geological surveys and information held by different agencies into a single modern, integrated framework. A complete picture of underground resources and their potential would help coordination among government departments and support planned work, he said.

In two separate meetings, participants discussed recommendations to make energy and electricity demand, production and distribution more efficient and economical. The minister called for zone-based assessments of actual demand and supply, rapid identification of obstacles, and prompt decisions on necessary actions. Energy and Mineral Resources Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam, Power Secretary Mirana Mahrukh and senior ministry and power-sector company officials attended.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed authorities to reopen long-closed government industrial factories and complete the process by 2026. A high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister was held at the Cabinet Division conference room in the Secretariat at 3:30 pm on Thursday, July 30. The meeting addressed reopening the factories, accelerating privatization activities, and attracting domestic and foreign investment.

Participants decided that necessary measures would be taken to restart the closed factories quickly. They emphasized removing bureaucratic complications to speed up implementation and drawing private investment to begin production operations at the industrial facilities as soon as possible.

Relevant agencies were also instructed to take effective steps to ensure an investment-friendly environment. Those attending included Economic and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Commerce, Industries, and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, State Minister Md Shariful Alam, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, and senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies.

Bangladesh aims to begin sending workers to Malaysia from the final week of August, Prime Minister’s adviser and office spokesperson Mahdi Amin said at a Thursday 3 p.m. press conference at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Labour and Employment, and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury attended the briefing.

Amin said bilateral discussions had produced consensus between the two countries, creating an opportunity for workers from all sectors to travel to Malaysia. He described the target as realistic and said beginning departures within the next month could play a major long-term role in Bangladesh’s economy. He also urged the public to remain alert to fraud by brokers and dishonest groups.

Malaysia will determine the final number of recruiting agencies through its own screening process and framework, based on a list of 423 agencies Bangladesh submitted during the interim government’s tenure. The current memorandum of understanding remains valid until December this year. Amin said licences of people linked to past fascism, corruption or unethical activities had been cancelled, and that those involved in such conduct or syndicate-related corruption would not be included on the new list. Malaysian authorities are expected to confirm the matter soon.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has announced a Tk8.71 per litre cut in the price of furnace oil in Bangladesh. Under the new rate, furnace oil supplied by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will cost Tk100.39 per litre, down from Tk109.10. BERC issued the related notification on Thursday, with the revised price taking effect from midnight on July 30.

BERC said the new price was set based on international furnace oil prices and the free-on-board, or FOB, price of imported crude oil. The notification did not provide further details on fuel supply, demand, or other factors behind the adjustment beyond those pricing references.

The revised rate will apply to the Bangladesh Power Development Board, public and private power plants, industrial factories, and other customers. BERC said the new price will remain in force until further instructions are issued. The announcement specifies the BPC-supplied furnace oil rate and identifies the customer groups covered by the change.

Bangladesh Bank has updated its consolidated foreign-exchange management instructions to better align the country’s export trade with international standards. The circular, issued on Thursday, adds provisions to promote paperless trade, digital trade documents, alternative trade finance, and service- and e-commerce-based exports. It will apply to export-related foreign-exchange transactions for the next year.

The central bank said the revisions reflect changes in international trade systems, the expansion of digital commerce, and the development of new export sectors. It has also brought all instructions on export-related foreign-exchange management under a consolidated framework. The circular allows export documents to be presented electronically under documentary collection arrangements.

Bangladesh Bank has directed the launch of a pilot framework for processing digital trade documents in documentary collection and letter-of-credit systems through approved trade corridors. A separate framework has been included for alternative trade finance, including supply chain finance. For the first time, the instructions contain a dedicated chapter on foreign-exchange transactions for freelancers and individual service exporters, which the central bank says will help them bring export earnings earned through digital payment channels into the country more quickly and easily.

Hilsa-laden trawlers are arriving at 19 coastal fish landing stations in Sitakunda, Chattogram, but much of the catch is not reaching local markets, according to a report published on July 30, 2026. Fish are being loaded from auction houses onto trucks for Dhaka, Jashore, Sylhet and other districts, while traders say some are exported abroad. Reduced local supply has pushed retail hilsa prices to Tk2,000 to Tk2,700 per kilogram, putting the fish beyond many residents’ purchasing power.

The report alleges that advance-loan-based fish trading, auction-house syndicates and control by outside wholesalers have created an artificial local shortage. Sitakunda has 5,418 registered and unregistered fishers, most of whom lack their own capital and take advances for fuel, ice, net repairs and food. Under those terms, they must sell all catches through designated auction houses, limiting their ability to benefit from higher market prices.

Auction prices range from Tk16,000 to Tk107,000 per maund depending on size. A local trader and the upazila executive officer proposed halting shipments outside the area at least one day a week for direct local sales. The fisheries officer said allegations of extortion from about 1,500 fishing boats using his name require investigation.

Bangladesh has approved the import of one cargo of liquefied natural gas from Singapore to maintain normal gas supplies and meet rising energy demand. The government procurement-related Cabinet Committee approved the proposal at a meeting at the Secretariat chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on July 30, 2026. The total cost for the cargo is Tk949 crore, 43 lakh, 12 thousand and 184, including advance income tax.

Under a proposal from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, the LNG will be purchased through an international quotation process under Rule 105, sub-rule (3), clause (a) of the Public Procurement Rules, 2025. The shipment is scheduled for delivery between August 15 and 16 and will be the country’s 42nd LNG cargo.

Singapore-based Vitol Asia Private Limited was selected as the lowest bidder. The company will supply LNG at $22.35 per MMBtu. The proposal received final approval following the recommendation of the government procurement-related Cabinet Committee. The import is intended to keep supplies continuing for industrial, power and other sectors amid the existing gas supply situation.