The first-ever Bangladeshi Taka-denominated bond titled “Bangla Bond” will be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Monday.
Category: Finance
Pledges for global climate fund reach about $11 billion
Paris, Oct 25 (AP/UNB) — France’s finance minister says pledges to replenish an international fund meant to help poor nations tackle climate change will reach nearly 10 billion euros ($11 billion).
Financing the green transition
By Bertrand Badré and Antoine Sire Paris – Four years after world leaders signed the Paris climate agreement and adopted the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global environmental crisis shows every sign of…
Taka currency notes floating in Karatoa River in Bogura!
Bogura, Oct 15 (UNB) – Hundreds of people gathered along the bank of the Karatoa River adjacent to Chelopara Bridge in the town on Monday night after a news spread that money is floating in the river.
High-level meet on finance for dev – result business-as-usual
By: Jennifer del Rosario-Malonzo 28 September 2019, New York City — Following a disappointing Climate Action Summit that yielded few commitments, despite science showing the need for urgent system change, and a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit acknowledging that the…
Revenue Board orders freezing GK Shamim’s Bank accounts
Dhaka, Sept 23 – The National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Monday gave instruction to all banks to provide information on the accounts of Golam Kibria Shamim alias GK Shamim.
Finance £6bn UK fund for BD, other climate vulnerable countries
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson on Saturday said the United Kingdom (UK) would be spending some 6 billion pounds to help Bangladesh and other vulnerable countries combat climate change with adaptation and mitigation.
Climate Summit for Enhanced Action:Perspective from India
With the upcoming UN-Secretary General’s Climate Summit in New York on 23rd September, the Climate Change Finance Unit of the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance, India has released a discussion paper titled ‘Climate Summit for Enhanced…
High road-construction costs in BD for soil texture, Quader
Dhaka, Sept 9 – Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday told parliament that road-construction cost in Bangladesh is higher than that of India and China due to the difference in soil conditions.
Export earnings fall by 11.49 percent in August
Dhaka, Sept 9 – Export earnings in the second month (August) of the current financial year 2019-20 fell by 11.49 per cent to $2.84 billion from $3.21 billion in the same month of the last fiscal, due to lower shipments…
SMEs to get access to finance, market; policy okayed
Dhaka, Sept 9 (UNB) – The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of SME Policy 2019, aiming to ensure access to finance, technology and market for some 78 lakh SMEs in the country. The approval came at the Cabinet meeting…
US defunds UNFPA for the third year– on wrong assumptions
By Thalif Deen UN, Jul 17 2019 (IPS) – The Trump administration, in its continued hostility towards the United Nations– and as part of its policy aimed at undermining multilateral institutions and international commitments– has withheld its annual contributions to…
Facebook and friends threaten to libralise the world
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, Jul 16 2019 (IPS) – On 17 June, a Facebook white paper proposed a new global digital currency it plans to launch in the first half of 2020. The…
Green Climate Fund agrees on ways to decide sans consensus
Songdo, 11 July (Indrajit Bose) — The Board of the UNFCCC’s Green Climate Fund (GCF) adopted a key decision on how the Board will make decisions in the event consensus could not be reached at its 23rd meeting in Songdo,…
Progress of financial inclusion in BD exciting: Queen Maxima
It can accelerate progress, empower women, she says Dhaka, July 10 – UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) Queen Maxima on Wednesday said financial inclusion can empower women and accelerate Bangladesh’s progress and noted significant progress…
Queen Maxima in Dhaka to promote financial services access
Dhaka, July 9 (UNB) – UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) Queen Maxima arrived here on Tuesday evening to promote people’s access to financial services in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is currently developing a national strategy to improve…
Liberalism and developing countries
By Leila Yasmine Khan and Daud Khan AMSTERDAM/ROME, Jun 24, 2019 (IPS) – As China rapidly replaces Europe and the USA as the key player in developing countries, the Western press is full of articles about the dangers of dealing…
Trump administration’s 50bn ‘economic peace plan’ for ME
The US is busy pushing a $50 billion economic peace plan for the Middle East which aims to “empower” and “unlock the vast potential of the Palestinian people”. Yet the 40-page document says nothing about why Palestinians are disempowered today.…
White House unveils $50 billion Palestinian economic plan
Washington, Jun 23 (AP/UNB) — The Trump administration on Saturday unveiled a $50 billion Palestinian investment and infrastructure proposal intended to be the economic engine to power its much-anticipated but still unreleased “deal of the century” Middle East peace plan.…
300 top loan defaulters fail to repay Tk 509bn: Minister
Dhaka, Jun 22 – Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Saturday placed in Parliament the list of 300 top loan defaulters of the country involving Tk 50,942 crore (Tk 509bn). The Finance Minister made the disclosure while responding to a…
In rare article for N. Korean party daily, Xi offers ‘grand plan’
Chinese President pledges to use the upcoming summit with Kim Jong Un to strengthen Sino-DPRK ties Dagyum Ji June 19th, 2019 – Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he is open to developing a “grand plan” with North Korea to…
11 infrastructure projects involving Tk 80bn okayed at Ecnec
Dhaka, Jun 18 (UNB) – The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved 11 projects involving an overall outlay of Tk 8,053 crore. The approval came from the Ecnec meeting held at NEC conference room here…
Global FDI flows fall for third consecutive year
Geneva, 13 Jun (Kanaga Raja) – Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows fell by 13 percent in 2018 to $1.3 trillion, the third consecutive year of a decline in FDI, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has…
BD allocates Taka 1bn to settle riverbank erosion victims
Dhaka, June 13 – A total of Tk 100 crore has been allocated in the proposed budget for 2019-20 fiscal years to facilitate rehabilitation of the people affected by river erosion. Besides, steps have been taken for managing water resource,…
Society: Financialisation destroys social solidarity
By Michael Lim Mah Hui and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Jun 4 2019 (IPS) – Finance has not stopped at dominating the real economy. The tentacles of finance have reached into significant, if not most parts of…
World military spending at 3-decade high, biggest spender US
By Countercurrents TeamThe past year has been immensely successful for the war industry. The US is leading the charge, while some of its NATO allies are also buffing their war budgets citing the Russian threat despite Moscow decreasing its military…
Dhaka signs US$ 2.5bn ODA deal with Tokyo
Tokyo, May 29 (UNB) – Bangladesh and Japan on Wednesday signed their 40th ODA deal involving US$ 2.5 billion for implementing four projects to bolster ties between the two countries. Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Monowar Ahmed and Japanese Ambassador…
Dhaka to sign US$ 2.5bn ODA deal during PM’s Tokyo visit
Dhaka, May 26 (UNB) – Bangladesh and Japan will sign their 40th ODA deal involving US$ 2.5 billion during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Japan visit on May 28-30 for implementing five projects as her visit is expected to bolster ties…
UK welfare cuts mean families go hungry: HRW
Government Policy Failings Exacerbate Food Poverty, Violate Right to Food London – Government cuts to welfare over the past decade have resulted in tens of thousands of poor families in England left without enough food to eat, a clear breach…
Aid to education falls slightly in 2017
In 2017, aid to education totaled US$ 13.2 billion, down 2% or US$288 million compared to 2016. The figures, released by the Global Education Monitoring Report, published by UNESCO, show the levels of aid to education continue to stagnate, growing…