Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed on Tuesday that the wife of Islami Bank Chairman Khurshid Alam has defaulted on a loan taken under her company’s name from First Security Islami Bank. The loan, amounting to 30 million taka, has remained unpaid for a long period. However, there is no loan registered under Khurshid Alam’s own name.

The report indicates that the defaulted loan is tied to the wife’s business entity, but it remains unclear whether Khurshid Alam acted as a guarantor for the loan. The disclosure comes amid broader concerns over rising non-performing loans in Bangladesh’s banking sector.

Bangladesh Bank data show that defaulted loans have increased by 310 billion taka over the past three months, reflecting growing pressure on the financial system.

In Sherpur upazila of Bogura, fish traders and farmers have been severely affected after the owners suddenly closed the local wholesale fish market at midnight on Monday. The owners cut off electricity, water, and ice supply and blocked access roads with vehicles, halting all trading activities. As a result, traders, wholesalers, and fish farmers faced heavy financial losses, with some forced to sell fish at reduced prices or return unsold stock.

According to affected traders, around 50 vehicles carrying about 600 maunds of fish were traded daily before the closure. They had started operations only six months ago under a three-year agreement, but the owners unilaterally shut down the market without prior notice. The disruption has sparked widespread concern among traders and locals, who fear damage to the local economy if the issue remains unresolved.

Former association president Abdul Hannan Bepari said the owners had long sought to move the business to another site, while owner representative Ranjila Parvin stated that the land lease was withdrawn in the community’s interest and traders were offered refunds, which they declined.

Customers of Islami Bank have resumed protests in Dhaka demanding the resignation of newly appointed chairman Khurshid Alam and all board members, along with the reinstatement of former managing director Omar Farooq Khan. The demonstration began at 9 a.m. Tuesday in front of Islami Bank Tower in Motijheel under the banner of the Conscious Customers Forum. Law enforcement agencies have been deployed in large numbers, including water cannons and armored vehicles, to maintain order.

Protesters expressed concern over recent changes in the bank’s board and the appointment of the new chairman, calling for transparency in management. Witnesses reported that customers, shareholders, and people from various professions gathered at the site, chanting slogans and voicing their demands. On Monday, a similar protest and human chain were held at the bank’s headquarters, where clashes reportedly occurred between demonstrators and police.

The unrest follows the resignation of former chairman Professor M. Zubaidur Rahman on May 24 and the subsequent appointment of Khurshid Alam, a former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank. The board later accepted Omar Farooq Khan’s resignation in a virtual meeting chaired by Alam.

Irregularities have been reported before and after the approval of sand extraction for the Matarbari Deep Sea Port connecting road project in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar. The contractor, Tokyo-MIL-JV, was permitted to extract sand under 13 conditions but allegedly ignored them, using a 12-inch suction dredger instead of the required 18-inch cutter dredger. The company also failed to obtain environmental clearance or conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Officials from Max International Limited, the local partner, denied all allegations, claiming compliance with government terms.

Documents show that the Cox’s Bazar district administration approved sand extraction without tender or environmental clearance, setting a rate of Tk 6.94 per cubic foot while the government would pay Tk 4.56 per cubic foot as dredging cost. This arrangement allegedly allows the contractor to profit while the government bears the expense. Competing firms offering higher royalties were reportedly ignored. The district administration, led by Deputy Commissioner Md. A. Mannan, justified the approval as being based on a land ministry directive.

The Department of Environment confirmed that no application for clearance was submitted and warned of legal action if extraction continues without approval. The administration has asked the Water Development Board to verify whether the contractor is violating conditions.

The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection in Sirajganj fined several transport operators on June 2, 2026, for charging passengers excessive fares during the post-Eid return journey. The joint operation with the Rapid Action Battalion took place between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Jamuna Bridge West Circle and Soydabad areas. Five CNG auto-rickshaw drivers and two bus supervisors from SI Paribahan and Jamuna Line Paribahan were fined a total of 18,000 taka. Additionally, 24,000 taka in overcharged fares was refunded to passengers on the spot.

Passengers reported that regular fares of 300–350 taka had risen to 500–600 taka, with some being asked to pay more for seats. Bus supervisors cited increased fuel prices and empty return trips as reasons for the higher fares. Highway police officials said traffic on the Jamuna Bridge western highway remained normal without congestion, and no formal complaints had been received.

Officials confirmed that joint task force operations to protect passenger rights and monitor transport fares will continue in the coming days.

Bangladesh is confronting renewed tensions over transboundary river management as the 30-year Ganges Water Sharing Treaty with India, signed in 1996, approaches its expiry in December 2026. Technical teams from both countries have begun preliminary discussions, but India has informally suggested a new formula based on water flow at the Farakka point, which Bangladeshi experts deem unfair. The uncertainty over renewal has revived concerns about equitable water distribution, particularly as Bangladesh continues to suffer from reduced dry-season flows, salinity, and environmental degradation linked to upstream control.

The article highlights that India’s unilateral management of shared rivers has long disadvantaged Bangladesh, affecting agriculture, fisheries, and navigation. The Farakka Barrage, Teesta water-sharing deadlock, and Tipaimukh Dam project are cited as examples of India prioritizing its strategic and domestic interests over regional fairness. Bangladesh’s government is advancing the Padma Barrage project to retain dry-season water, though experts warn of potential ecological side effects.

The author urges Bangladesh to strengthen water diplomacy, enhance research capacity, and mobilize international support for binding transboundary river governance to safeguard national interests and environmental security.

After Eid-ul-Azha, leather trading has intensified across Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon, and Chapainawabganj, but small and seasonal traders are facing severe losses due to non-implementation of government-fixed prices. At Natore’s Chakbaidyanath leather market, many traders returned unsold hides or sold them at a loss, with salted cowhides fetching Tk 900–1,000 and unsalted ones Tk 600–800, though most sold for much less. Goat hides saw almost no buyers, and traders reported prices as low as Tk 300–600 per cowhide in some areas.

Wholesalers argued that poor-quality and disease-affected hides reduced prices, while traders blamed a market syndicate and lack of enforcement. The Rajshahi Leather Traders Group acknowledged weak market conditions, with many small traders still holding unsold stock. Experts noted that recurring crises stem from inadequate preservation systems, weak tannery capacity, and lack of transparency in market management.

Economists and traders urged coordinated action among collectors, wholesalers, and tanneries to ensure fair prices and transparency. Authorities said they are monitoring to prevent cross-border smuggling, while stakeholders warned that without price enforcement, small traders, madrassas, and orphanages will suffer most.

In Chattogram, large quantities of sacrificial animal hides have gone to waste again this year, continuing a trend since 2018. Seasonal traders abandoned the market after failing to get fair prices, blaming a powerful syndicate and poor coordination by the Ministry of Commerce. They said the recurring losses are breaking the rawhide supply chain and damaging the national economy.

Industry sources cited several reasons for the sector’s ongoing crisis, including the non-operation of the central effluent treatment plant in Savar, which limits Bangladesh’s competitiveness in international markets. Traders also criticized the government’s annual price-setting process for salted rawhide, claiming it ignores real market conditions and involves participants with little connection to the industry. As a result, confusion spreads among seasonal traders, who often buy hides at inflated rates and incur losses.

Local tannery owners and traders said the government’s fixed prices—ranging from Tk 56 to 67 per square foot—do not reflect actual trading values. They urged authorities to monitor tannery purchases and focus on rebuilding domestic and international markets to revive the struggling leather industry.

Authorities in Narayanganj removed more than a thousand discarded sacrificial animal hides and waste that had been left scattered along a two-kilometer stretch of the Link Road in Fatullah. The cleanup operation, led by Narayanganj Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer S M Fayez Uddin, took place from Monday noon to evening using excavators to collect and bury the decomposing materials. The action brought relief to residents and pedestrians who had been suffering from the stench and health discomfort caused by the rotting waste.

Local residents said the hides and waste had been dumped near the Riaagop International Cricket Stadium and surrounding areas under the Narayanganj City Corporation. Despite jurisdictional boundaries, the upazila administration undertook the full cleanup for public welfare. The official explained that union councils had been instructed earlier to manage the waste, and immediate measures were taken once the public distress became known.

Fayez Uddin urged citizens to dispose of sacrificial waste responsibly to prevent environmental pollution and public suffering, noting that careless dumping wastes government resources. Locals expressed gratitude for the swift administrative response.

The Bangladesh government has approved the purchase of new surveillance equipment worth about Tk 950 million for the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) to enhance content blocking and filtering capabilities. The decision was made on May 20 at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. The equipment includes next-generation firewalls, hybrid packet brokers, switch management cards, and accessories for six partially connected data centers. Dhaka-based Global Brand PLC was selected as the lowest bidder.

The NTMC, originally formed in 2008 and renamed in 2013, has faced longstanding allegations of privacy violations and unauthorized surveillance. Following a UN fact-finding report and public criticism, the previous interim government dissolved the NTMC in December 2025 and created a new structure called the Center for Information Support under the Home Ministry. The current administration later amended laws to align surveillance practices with international standards.

Officials stated that the new system aims to strengthen internet security and enforce the Cyber Security Ordinance 2025, though public debate over surveillance practices continues.

During the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, many rural areas of Bangladesh faced severe power outages lasting up to 8–10 hours, causing widespread suffering among residents. Districts such as Bhola, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Rangpur, Patuakhali, Munshiganj, Satkhira, and Jashore were among the worst affected. In some places, locals protested in front of electricity offices. Officials from the Power Division attributed the disruptions to damage caused by seasonal storms that toppled poles and severed transmission lines.

The Power Division stated that electricity demand was low during the holidays due to the closure of offices and factories, but storm damage limited supply to about 5,500 megawatts. Maintenance teams were deployed nationwide, and most transmission lines were repaired within two days. The Power Development Board reported that assessments of total damage were still underway.

Separately, the government reimposed its directive requiring all shopping malls, markets, and shops to close by 7 p.m. from June 1 to conserve electricity. The temporary extension to 10 p.m. for Eid shopping had expired, and the rule now also applies to billboards, fairs, and cultural events.

Islami Bank Bangladesh held a virtual board meeting late Monday night under what reports described as pressure from Bangladesh Bank. The meeting, chaired by newly appointed chairman Khurshid Alam, lasted about 40 minutes and included five board members. During the session, the resignation of Managing Director Omar Faruk Khan was accepted, and Altaf Hossain was assigned as acting MD until a new appointment is made.

According to Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan, the meeting was held with the central bank’s permission, and no direct pressure was exerted. He clarified that online meetings can be conducted outside regular banking hours. The meeting was originally planned to be held in person but was shifted online due to protests by customers outside the bank’s head office in Dhaka.

Earlier in May, former chairman M. Zubaidur Rahman resigned, and Khurshid Alam, a former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, was appointed as the new chairman. His appointment has faced opposition from a political faction linked to the bank, leading to ongoing demonstrations, including Monday’s protest in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Bank has permitted Islami Bank to conduct a board meeting online, despite its own 2024 directive that prohibited virtual meetings for all banks. The meeting was called to introduce the bank’s newly appointed chairman, Khurshid Alam, who replaced M. Zubaidur Rahman after Rahman resigned on the central bank’s advice. However, the meeting could not take place due to protests by depositors under the Islami Bank Customer Forum, who gathered at the bank’s head office demanding the chairman’s removal and the return of allegedly laundered funds.

According to the report, police officers were seen urging the bank’s managing director to proceed with the online meeting, while protesters demonstrated outside his office. The Bangladesh Bank spokesperson stated that a political party was interfering in the bank’s affairs and warned that no political influence would be tolerated in banking decisions.

As of the report’s publication, protests continued outside Islami Bank’s headquarters, and the customer forum announced plans for human chains in front of all branches nationwide the following day.

The government of Bangladesh has reinstated its directive requiring all shopping malls, markets, and shops across the country to close by 7pm, effective June 1. The same restriction applies to lighting on billboards, as well as to ongoing and upcoming fairs, trade fairs, and cultural events, which must also conclude by 7pm. Officials from the Power Division said the measure aims to conserve electricity.

The Power Division’s Coordination-2 branch issued the order on Monday, sending it to all city corporation mayors, administrators, divisional commissioners, and district commissioners for implementation. The earlier 7pm closing rule had been temporarily relaxed to 10pm during the Eid-ul-Azha period to facilitate business activities.

With the end of the Eid concession, the previous schedule has been reimposed. The Power Division has requested all relevant administrative authorities to take necessary steps to ensure compliance with the directive.

Bangladesh Postal Department’s mobile financial service Nagad achieved multiple transaction records in May 2026, marking the highest monthly total in its history. The company processed transactions worth Tk 44,639 crore during the month, surpassing its previous record of Tk 41,469 crore in March. Daily transaction records were also broken several times before Eid-ul-Azha, with the highest single-day total reaching Tk 2,177 crore on May 26.

Officials attributed the surge to increased financial activity around Eid, including cash-in, cash-out, remittance receipts, mobile recharges, bill payments, and shopping transactions. Nagad also played a key role in distributing government allowances and benefits during the month. Administrator Md. Motasim Billah said Nagad’s low transaction costs and free send-money service have made it highly popular among users, helping to build trust and sustain growth.

According to Billah, technological improvements have strengthened transaction security, further boosting customer confidence. Since its inception, Nagad has aimed to digitize financial services, accelerate rural economic activity, and expand financial inclusion across Bangladesh.