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.

Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, or PKSF, has launched the Growth for Climate Resilient and Environmental Entrepreneurship and Nutrition project, known as Green, to address climate-change impacts, build safe and nutritious food systems, and develop environmentally friendly entrepreneurs. The project was formally inaugurated on Thursday at PKSF Building-1 in the capital.

More than 258,000 families across haor, coastal, Barind and char areas will directly benefit from the initiative. It will prioritize communities affected by climate change, women, youth, small ethnic groups, socially marginalized people and small entrepreneurs. The project will work on climate-resilient food systems, green technology, sustainable entrepreneurship, inclusive financial services and strengthening the institutional capacity of partner organizations.

The project is scheduled for implementation from 2026 to 2031 with total investment of $211.7 million. The International Fund for Agricultural Development will provide $70 million, while PKSF and partner organizations will supply the remainder. PKSF said it will emphasize digital financing, agro-ecological farming, agricultural microenterprises, local agro-processing, value addition, solar energy and the circular economy.

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority has approved a proposal to lease 120 acres at the Jamuna Bridge site for a 55-megawatt solar power plant. The decision was taken at the authority’s 117th board meeting, held Thursday afternoon in the conference room of Setu Bhaban. Under the decision, the land will be leased to Northwest Power Generation Company Limited for construction of the solar facility.

The authority said the proposed plant would support environmentally friendly and sustainable energy production. The board also approved a proposal to prepare an integrated master plan that includes installing solar panels across the Bridge Authority’s operational area. The initiative is being viewed as part of the government’s green employment and renewable-energy efforts.

The meeting additionally decided to revise the existing policy for allocating flats in rehabilitation villages to families affected by construction of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. It approved establishment of the Center for Bridge Research and Training to support professional knowledge, skills development, research, construction and maintenance of major infrastructure. Board chairman Sheikh Rabiul Alam directed relevant officials and authorities to implement all decisions quickly and transparently.

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.

The Sreemangal Upazila administration in Moulvibazar returned Tk 12,290,301 in unspent funds to the state treasury after the Aliachhara canal re-excavation project in Bhunabir Union was not completed on time. The project had a total allocation of Tk 12,878,537, of which Tk 500,000 was spent. Moulvibazar-4 lawmaker Alhaj Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury inaugurated the project on April 17, and work began the following day.

The plan included re-excavating 2,750 metres of canal, reinforcing both banks, planting trees and installing RCC ring pipes. The work was scheduled to finish by June 30, but adverse weather and heavy rainfall allowed completion of only 640 metres, or 23.27 percent, within the deadline. The expenditure included Tk 58,824 in VAT and Tk 29,412 in income tax, along with costs for clearing vegetation, labour, excavator use and transport.

Local farmers said the canal has remained filled for about 40 years, leaving roughly 4,000 acres of farmland in five mouzas uncultivated because of waterlogging. PIO Plabon Pal said similar projects are planned for the dry season in the future. UNO Md Ziaur Rahman said the unused funds were returned to ensure transparent and accountable use of public money.

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.

Bangladesh Bank has withdrawn the administrator from EXIM Bank, one of five banks merged into Sammilito Islami Bank. The move means EXIM Bank’s operations will now be run through Sammilito Islami Bank’s board of directors and managing director. Administrator Shawkatul Alam and his representatives were withdrawn on Thursday, according to a report published on July 30.

During the interim government period, EXIM Bank, Social Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Union Bank and Global Islami Bank were merged to form Sammilito Islami Bank. The boards of the banks were dissolved and their managing directors were removed. Bangladesh Bank subsequently appointed administrators to oversee the banks’ operations.

In June, the government appointed Kazi Shayrul Hasan as chairman of Sammilito Islami Bank’s board and Abedur Rahman Shikdar as managing director. After the new board and management assumed responsibility, Bangladesh Bank decided to withdraw administrators in stages. Relevant central bank officials said administrators would also be withdrawn from the remaining four merged banks by August.

Residents of Panishwar union in Sarail, Brahmanbaria, say recurring Meghna River erosion has destroyed homes, rice mills, mosques, businesses and farmland for more than three decades without a permanent riverbank protection embankment. The report, published July 30, said erosion is continuing along roughly three kilometres in Palpara, Sakhaiti, Dewbaria and Layarhati, with hundreds of people facing renewed losses during each monsoon.

Local residents said the river takes more land every year and warned that remaining villages could disappear without durable protection. Acting union chairman Md Touhid Mia said several hundred families in Palpara, Sakhaiti, Sholabari and Dewbaria are directly at risk. He said about 20 rice mills and more than 100 homes have already been lost to the river.

Bangladesh Water Development Board official Mohsin Kabir Shihab said a proposal for 1,350 metres of riverbank protection work in Panishwar has been sent to the Water Resources Ministry under an integrated water resources management project. Geobags have been placed at several locations as an emergency measure. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saiful Islam said the situation is highly concerning and that alleged illegal sand extraction is being examined; legal action will follow if allegations are verified.

Bangladesh’s Land Ministry has issued 10 directives to strengthen cybersecurity and improve the performance of computers, networks and other ICT devices used in upazila land offices, revenue circle offices and union land offices. The measures are intended to keep automated land-service operations secure, uninterrupted and effective. The ministry has instructed the Land Reform Board to take necessary steps to implement the directives, according to a report published on July 30, 2026.

The ministry recently sent a letter on the matter to the chairman of the Land Reform Board. It called for licensed, up-to-date antivirus software on all computers and the use of designated secure browsers, including current versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Offices were also asked to avoid outdated or insecure browsers and review hardware capacity, including RAM, storage and processors, for possible upgrades.

Other requirements include updated network-device firmware, strong passwords and replacement of default usernames and passwords. The directives also cover software updates, removal of unnecessary programs, data backups, multi-factor authentication where needed, physical security for ICT devices and virus scanning of portable storage devices. Staff awareness must be improved, while technical or security problems in digital land-service systems should be reported promptly to relevant technical authorities.