Islami Bank Bangladesh’s non-performing loans rose to about Tk98,915 crore at the end of June 2026, equal to 52.14 percent of total loans, according to the report. The bank’s financial condition has deteriorated amid renewed confidence concerns and pressure from deposit withdrawals. Its provision shortfall exceeded Tk82,334 crore, while the actual capital shortfall was about Tk90,188 crore at the end of March. The bank recorded a net loss of Tk1,316.48 crore in the first six months of 2026.

The report says much of the troubled lending is linked directly or indirectly to S Alam Group-related entities. Bank sources said 15 of the top 20 defaulting borrowers were associated with the group and its owner Saiful Alam’s family, accounting for Tk57,175 crore, or about 62 percent, of total defaulted loans. Another five top borrowers owed Tk5,697 crore, with information indicating indirect benefits involving S Alam Group and Nabil Group.

Additional Managing Director Jamal Uddin Majumdar attributed the rise partly to borrowers failing to make scheduled installments, including on previously rescheduled loans. After unrest and increased withdrawals in June, Bangladesh Bank pledged support on June 12 and dissolved the full board on June 14, assigning its powers to Executive Director Zahir Hossain.

Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) plans to introduce an e-KYC system to verify investor and nominee information when beneficiary owner, or BO, accounts are opened. The initiative is intended to enable immediate identity checks, prevent national identity card fraud or use of another person’s ID, and support transparency in the capital market. An Election Commission team visited the CDBL office on August 19 to inspect software and preparations.

CDBL Managing Director Abdul Motaleb said the system will allow the institution to confirm the identities of people opening BO accounts in the future. The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has already issued a no-objection for the rollout. The system will require an application programming interface connection between CDBL’s software and the Election Commission-controlled National ID server.

All BSEC-registered entities, including brokerage houses, asset management firms, merchant banks and custodians, will use the e-KYC system. Information of existing BO account holders will also be verified gradually after launch. CDBL expects the system could begin within the next one or two months. No additional fee will be charged beyond charges for using the Election Commission server and software management.

Bangladesh has decided to replace its long-standing July–June fiscal year with an April–March cycle from fiscal year 2028–29. Fiscal year 2027–28 will serve as a nine-month transition period running from July to March. The government says the change is intended to better align development activities with the country’s weather conditions.

Under the present calendar, the fiscal year’s final three months—April, May and June—coincide with increasing monsoon effects, disrupting road, infrastructure and other development work. The timing can also encourage rushed spending near the fiscal year-end. Policy Exchange of Bangladesh Chairman and Chief Executive Dr M Mashrur Riaz called the change a positive step, though he said a January–December fiscal year would have offered a longer weather-friendly work period.

Analysts said calendar reform alone will not resolve chronic project delays linked to approvals, land acquisition, tender procedures, administrative complications and weak project management. The government is reviewing required adjustments to budgeting, tax collection, accounting, financial-management software and regulations. FBCCI Administrator Md Fazlul Haque said the initiative could reduce waste and save funds in public development projects.

Bangladesh’s government plans to build and open 500 kilometres of expressways over the five years from July 2026 to June 2031, under a strategic framework prepared by the Planning Commission’s General Economics Division. The plan also includes initiatives to examine second bridges over the Padma and Jamuna rivers, improve rural roads, modernise public transport and strengthen road safety.

A national expressway network would link districts, ports, economic zones, border areas and the Asian Highway network through four-lane highways. About 3,000 kilometres of expressway corridors have been identified initially, with high-demand routes to receive priority. The government also plans feasibility studies for the second Jamuna and Padma bridges within one year, while listing bridges at Rajbari-Pabna, Meghna-Chandpur and Bhola-Barishal among proposed initiatives.

The framework calls for axle-load controls, road-safety legislation, driver training, vehicle fitness checks, tracking systems and CCTV monitoring at transport hubs. It also proposes electronic toll collection, shared parking, separate two-wheeler lanes, monorail feasibility work, bicycle sharing, pilot electric vehicles and regulated rickshaw zones and licensing.

Bangladesh’s Financial Institutions Division has ordered state-owned Janata Bank PLC to prepare a specific, measurable turnaround plan to address severe financial stress and irregularities. The instruction was issued at a high-level meeting with the bank’s board, managing director and other officials, chaired by Financial Institutions Division Secretary Nazma Mobarek. The bank was told to pursue priority targets over the next 12 to 24 months.

Officials said nearly 70 percent of Janata Bank’s total loans are now non-performing, while its capital base has become very weak and it is operating with a sharply negative net interest margin. A large share of bad loans is concentrated among a small number of influential clients. The bank was directed to identify these major accounts and create separate, time-bound resolution plans, with cash recovery treated as a distinct performance indicator.

The division also called for caution on new large loans, increased quality lending to SMEs, agriculture and productive sectors, and stronger internal controls, audits and compliance. Janata Bank must decide quickly whether to continue or orderly close its Dubai or UAE operation. Chairman M Fazlur Rahman said the bank had begun work under the division’s instructions.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department said Dhaka and nearby areas may see partly cloudy to temporarily cloudy skies, with a possibility of light rain or thundershowers. The forecast covers six hours from 7 a.m. Monday, according to the weather office.

Winds may blow from the south or southwest at 10 to 15 kilometres per hour during the forecast period. At 6 a.m. Monday, Dhaka’s temperature was 26.9 degrees Celsius and humidity stood at 97 percent, the department said.

The capital recorded 5 millimetres of rainfall in the previous 24 hours. Sunday’s maximum temperature in Dhaka was 34.8 degrees Celsius, while Monday’s minimum was 26.8 degrees Celsius. Sunset is expected at 6:24 p.m. Monday, and sunrise is due at 5:37 a.m. Tuesday.

“Tomake Dekha Mane,” a song written nearly two decades ago and recorded in 2016, has finally been released. The track premiered on August 20 on Shuvendu Das Shuvo’s YouTube channel. It marks the first joint work by brothers and musicians Autumnal Moon and Shuvendu Das Shuvo.

Autumnal Moon wrote, composed and sang the song, and also played steel-string guitar. Shuvendu handled music co-production and nylon guitar, while Iftekharul Alam Shuvo completed mixing and mastering. Saif Hossain was involved in video production.

The song was first created in 2002, when Shuvendu heard it from his older brother. The brothers later completed its recording together in 2016. They said its release took time because they wanted to present a work tied to years of emotion and memories as perfectly as possible. Moon called it one of his favourite creations, while Shuvendu said the song had remained with them like an old chapter blended with memory, time and love.

Domestic and foreign experts urged Bangladesh to cancel unfair energy agreements, reduce import dependence and make better use of domestic resources to address its energy crisis. The calls came at a policy roundtable in a Dhaka hotel on Sunday afternoon, organised by the Institute of Policy, Governance and Advocacy for Development (IPGAD). Speakers said technical measures must be accompanied by strong political will, transparency and accountability to build a sustainable energy system.

SOAS University of London economist Mushtaq Khan said short-term supply problems and longer-term structural and production weaknesses had created the current situation. He said that during the Awami League government, paper electricity-generation capacity rose fourfold while costs increased 11-fold and capacity charges rose 20-fold. He argued that disputes over sovereign contracts should focus on proving corruption and irregularities at the time agreements were made, rather than ordinary international arbitration over unpaid bills.

Participants also stressed renewable energy, domestic gas exploration and local manufacturing capacity. BIISS research fellow Lam-Ya Mostak said energy had become a strategic resource and warned against replacing one import dependency with another through solar-panel imports. Other speakers raised concerns about quick rentals, LNG imports, budget deficits, foreign strategic control of energy infrastructure, competition failures and the need for policy changes toward affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly energy production.

The Netherlands’ data protection authority has fined ride-sharing company Uber €825 million, about $960 million, for failing to properly notify drivers before deactivating their accounts. A spokesperson for the authority confirmed the penalty on Friday, saying the decision had been made the previous Monday.

The action was taken under European data protection law, which says decisions made solely through automated processes must not have significant effects on individuals. The case was based on several incidents in Europe between 2020 and 2022 and began with a complaint filed against Uber in France. It was heard in the Netherlands because Uber’s European headquarters is in Amsterdam.

The central allegation was that Uber deactivated some drivers’ accounts without adequately informing them of the decision. Uber has rejected the Dutch ruling and said it will appeal. The company described the size of the fine as disproportionate and said it would challenge the decision.

Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department issued warnings for four seaports and river ports after a low-pressure system formed over the northwestern Bay of Bengal and adjacent coastal areas. Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra seaports were told to repeatedly display local cautionary signal number three. The report was published on August 23, 2026, as rough sea conditions were reported.

Meteorologist Abdul Hamid said the low pressure was unlikely to have a major impact over Bangladesh. However, he said rainfall tendencies in coastal areas could increase from two days after the system dissipates and continue for two to three days. The department said the monsoon trough extended from Rajasthan through several Indian regions, central Bangladesh and Assam, with monsoon activity moderate over Bangladesh and strong over the northern Bay.

For the following 24 hours from 6pm Sunday, light to moderate rain or thunderstorms with gusty winds were forecast in many places across Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions. Temperatures could fall slightly. Rainfall had remained low, while humidity caused oppressive heat; Ishwardi recorded 35.5°C and Dhaka 34.8°C.

Daily purchases through Bangla QR in Bangladesh have crossed Tk 100 crore for the first time, following mandatory adoption of the system from July 1. During the past week, Bangla QR recorded an average of 303,000 transactions a day, with average daily purchases worth Tk 110.38 crore, according to Bangladesh Bank assistant spokesperson Shahriar Siddiqui.

In early July, Bangla QR handled an average of 178,000 transactions daily, with purchases averaging Tk 37.33 crore a day. Within several weeks, the number of transactions nearly doubled while their financial value rose by nearly three times.

The requirement replaced conventional QR codes with Bangla QR at establishments of all types of ownership. Merchant acceptance has also expanded rapidly: the number of merchants accepting Bangla QR rose from about 1.6 million on July 1 to more than 3 million currently.

Iran has discovered more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in a gas field in the southern province of Fars, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said. Speaking to state television IRIB on Sunday, he said the field contains about 5.7 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas, calculated on a recovery rate of 72 to 73 percent. The announcement came as Iran remains in an ongoing war with the United States.

The discovery could add to Iran’s already substantial gas reserves, though its commercial value will depend on whether the country can secure the investment and technology needed to develop the field. War, sanctions and the US blockade have placed Iran’s energy sector under pressure. According to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, Iran has around 34 trillion cubic metres of proven gas reserves, ranking second globally after Russia.

Despite its large reserves, Iran has faced regular gas shortages, power outages and disruptions to industrial production. After Israel and the United States began joint attacks against Iran on February 28, conditions became more difficult. Tehran said in July that attacks on energy infrastructure had reduced daily gas production by about 230 million cubic metres.

Bangladeshi expatriates sent $2.148 billion in remittances during the first 22 days of August, according to Bangladesh Bank data released on Sunday by Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan. At an exchange rate of Tk123 per dollar, the amount equals Tk264.204 billion in local currency.

The inflow was higher than the $1.711 billion received during the same August 1-22 period in 2025. Remittances increased by $437 million year on year, representing growth of about 25.52 percent, the central bank data showed.

From July 1 to August 22 of fiscal year 2026-27, total remittance receipts reached $5.006 billion, compared with $4.188 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. That marked an increase of $818 million, or 19.5 percent. Bankers attributed the rise to greater use of legal transfer channels, easier access to banking services and a simpler remittance process.

Seventeen-year-old Rudiansah has joined efforts to fight severe wildfires on Indonesia’s Borneo island, wearing a red-and-blue Superman costume while spraying water on vegetation and burning peatland. He works with a local volunteer firefighting team established by his father, Muliadi, near Palangkaraya. The report was published on August 23, 2026.

Rudiansah said he has helped his father after school since 2023, but chose the costume this year to encourage public attention and motivation. A video of him handling a hose spread widely on social media and was viewed millions of times. Indonesia’s forestry minister later called him a “forest hero.” His father described this year’s haze as the worst seen since the volunteer team was formed in 2020.

The Indonesian government said more than 200,000 hectares burned from January through July, about three times Jakarta’s area. Water shortages caused by prolonged drought have complicated firefighting, while haze has reached neighbouring Malaysia. The government has ordered additional troops and aircraft deployed. Rudiansah, who hopes to become a forest ranger, urged firefighters and volunteers across Indonesia not to lose morale.

The ‘Hridoye Dhaka 416’ festival began on Saturday at Madhumita Cinema Hall in the capital, celebrating Dhaka’s heritage and film history. Organised by Dhaka South City Corporation, the opening day honoured 58 distinguished figures of Dhaka cinema and three historic theatres: Lion Cinema Hall, Azad Cinema Hall and Madhumita Cinema Hall.

Living honourees included actresses Sujata, Suchanda, Anwara, Bobita, Nutan, Champa and Shabnaz, along with actors Ujjal, Sohel Rana, Alamgir, Khaja Naim Murad and Azad Rahman Shakil. Awards also recognised contributors to lyrics, music, cinematography, directing and film journalism, including Mohammad Rafiquzzaman, Abida Sultana, Sheikh Sadi Khan, Reza Latif, Chhotku Ahmed and Chinmoy Mutsuddi.

Posthumous honours went to filmmakers including Abdul Jabbar Khan, Zahir Raihan, Amjad Hossain, Subhash Dutta and Chashi Nazrul Islam, as well as performers and music professionals. The festival also started screenings of 13 memorable Bangladeshi films at Madhumita Cinema Hall, opening with ‘Mukh O Mukhosh’, described as Bangladesh’s first full-length sound film. DSCC administrator Md Abdus Salam chaired the inauguration.