Macro
NBR’s revenue growth gains momentum amid economic recovery
With the economy showing signs of gradual recovery, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has started to see positive results in revenue collection. According to sources related to NBR, revenue collection saw the highest growth in January among the first seven months of the 2024-25 fiscal year, with a 7% increase. The previous month had also witnessed nearly 7% growth. This marked the second consecutive month of positive growth after November’s decline, bringing the total number of months with growth to four this fiscal.
https://www.tbsnews.net/nbr/nbrs-revenue-growth-gains-momentum-amid-economic-recovery-1077516

Forex reserve nears $21b amid high remittance
Bangladesh’s gross foreign exchange reserves, calculated under International Monetary Fund guidelines, neared $21 billion again, driven by strong remittance inflows. According to Bangladesh Bank data, reserves stood at $20.9 billion on February 20 compared with that of 19.96 billion on January 30. Bankers said that high remittance inflow and export earnings contributed most to the surge in reserve balance. According to BB data, remittance inflow was $15.96 billion in July-January period in FY25 compared with that of $12.91 billion in the same period in FY24. Besides, export earnings soared by 11.58 per cent to $28.96 billion in July-January period in FY25 compared with that of $25.96 billion in the same period in FY24.
https://www.newagebd.net/post/economy/258705/forex-reserve-nears-21b-amid-high-remittance

Revised ADP set for 11.83% YoY lower
The Planning Commission has given initial approval for a Tk216,000 crore allocation for the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) for the current fiscal year, marking an 11.83% year-on-year decrease. The revised plan will be presented for final approval at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on 3 March, chaired by the chief adviser. Last fiscal year, the government spent Tk196,111 crore, or 80% of the RADP allocation of Tk245,000 crore.
https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/revised-adp-set-1183-yoy-lower-1076536

Bank
Cenbank to end 28-day, 14-day Repo to boost call money market
The Bangladesh Bank has decided to discontinue the 28-day and 14-day Repo – a platform for borrowing from the central bank – to make the inter-bank call money market more vibrant and reduce their dependence on the regulator, with only the 7-day Repo facility remaining operational. Additionally, the money market regulator will not apply extra charges for taking money through Repo. A central bank policymaker said Repo auctions are currently held for 7, 14, and 28 days, but the 28-day facility will be discontinued in March or April and the 14-day facility from June or July, leaving only the 7-day Repo available in the coming months.
https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/cenbank-end-28-day-14-day-repo-boost-call-money-market-1077471

Fuel & Power
Jamuna Oil posts highest profit, Titas Gas hits historic losses in H1
Jamuna Oil registered the highest profit among the listed state-owned companies, while Titas Gas suffered historic losses in the first half of the fiscal 2024-25. According to the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), 16 of the 18 listed state-run firms have released their H1 financials, with nine reporting losses and seven posting profits. Among the loss-makers, once-prominent firms like Titas Gas and the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) posted significant losses. Others – Desco, Atlas Bangladesh, Eastern Cables, Zeal Bangla Sugar, Shyampur Sugar, Usmania Glass, and Renwick Jajneswar – have faced prolonged losses due to limited market competitiveness.
https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/stocks/jamuna-oil-posts-highest-profit-titas-gas-hits-historic-losses-h1-1077461

Textile
RMG exports grow 18% in Oct-Dec
Bangladesh’s readymade garments (RMG) industry has continued to expand despite global economic challenges and domestic labour unrest following the fall of the Awami League government last August, according to the latest Bangladesh Bank (BB) report. Export earnings for the October-December period of fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25) stood at $10.36 billion, marking a 9 percent increase from the previous quarter. Year-on-year, it was a growth of 18.6 percent. “This growth was attributed to the rebound of economic activities in advanced economies along with the peak holiday shopping season in Western markets,” said the central bank’s quarterly review of RMG released yesterday.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/rmg-exports-grow-18-oct-dec-3832986

Telecommunication
Telecom network simplification roadmap by April: BTRC chairman
The Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is set to unveil a roadmap by April to simplify the network regime, which has become complicated over the past 15 years, said its chairman Maj Gen (retd) Md Emdad ul Bari. Amid criticism that the telecom network and licensing regime became fragmented to “facilitate rent seekers” close to the previous government, he said the journey began in the 1990s with unified licences for mobile operators, later requiring the government to ensure visibility over their operations and revenue.
https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/telecom/telecom-network-simplification-roadmap-april-btrc-chairman-1077416

All 3 Chinese bidders declared disqualified for Teletalk’s Tk3,000cr rural 4G project
A technical evaluation committee has declared all three Chinese bidders disqualified for Teletalk’s Tk3,000 crore project for expansion of 4G mobile broadband network up to union level. Following it, the state-owned mobile operator a week ago sought opinion from the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) regarding its next move, confirmed Teletalk Acting Managing Director Nurul Mabud Chowdhury. “The evaluation committee found each of the three firms non-responsive,” he told TBS on Monday (24 February). China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), China International Telecommunication Construction Corporation (CITCC), Yunnan Construction and Investment Holdings Group Co (YCIH) were the three firms.
https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/telecom/all-3-chinese-bidders-declared-disqualified-teletalks-tk3000cr-rural-4g-project

Capital Market
BSEC to inspect overall status of 3 merchant banks
The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has formed a three-member committee to review the overall operations of three merchant banks in the stock market. ICB Capital Management, Janata Capital and Investment, and IIDFC Capital Limited are the banks. The commission recently formed the committee and issued letters to the related parties. According to the letter, the inspection team will review the number of margin accounts, the number of beneficiary owner (BO) accounts with negative equity, the actual amount of negative equity, and the provisions allocated for margin accounts.
https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/stocks/bsec-inspect-overall-status-3-merchant-banks-1077361

Regulator looks to make fraudster brokers pay back clients
The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has claimed to have taken a comprehensive strategy to recover investors’ funds embezzled by stockbrokers. The market watchdog asked the prime bourse to settle small claims with the brokers’ funds or assets kept with it, said sources in the BSEC. As for the recovery of large funds, it considers seeking legal opinions so that it can involve law enforcement agencies in bringing the intermediaries to book and making them pay back their clients.
https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/stock-corporate/regulator-looks-to-make-fraudster-brokers-pay-back-clients-1740410773

Stocks
BSEC declines National Polymer’s Tk100cr preference share issuance
The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has rejected National Polymer’s application to raise Tk100 crore through the issuance of preference shares. In a disclosure to the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) today, the company stated that BSEC, in an official letter, declined to grant approval for the issuance of redeemable, cumulative, non-convertible, and non-participative preference shares amounting to Tk100 crore through a private offer.
https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/stocks/bsec-declines-national-polymers-tk100cr-preference-share-issuance-1077401