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Beyond Headlines brings together the five biggest business stories of the day in one concise news digest to keep readers informed about the developments that matter. Here’s the news digest for 15th October 2026.
National Bank resumed banking services across all branches and automated teller booths on Thursday as customers completed regulated cash withdrawals. The resumption followed emergency measures to stabilise cash flows, while some branches additionally recorded fresh deposits into business accounts.
To restore normal transactions, the lender secured Tk 7,000 crore in liquidity support from state-owned Sonali Bank under a Bangladesh Bank guarantee. Around 11,000 customers had previously submitted formal applications between 11 and 14 October seeking to withdraw Tk 2,000 crore in deposits.
National Bank Chairperson Professor Melita Mehjabin said the current management worked hard to restore customer services across all branches. She said cash disbursements have officially resumed nationwide and requested customer understanding if minor delays occur during the operational transition.
Under Bangladesh Bank instructions, the three-month liquidity facility carries a 10 per cent interest rate. The central bank barred using emergency funds for new loans or director deposit repayments, while initial disbursements prioritise existing applicants with current and savings accounts.
Source: The Business Standard
All banking services of Sonali Bank PLC will remain suspended for 48 hours starting from midnight on Thursday for a core banking system upgrade. The nationwide suspension will continue until Saturday midnight, leaving all regular customer operations unavailable.
According to a central bank circular, the scheduled downtime will facilitate an upgrade of the database used by the lender's Intellect CBS 10.00 software. The technical procedure will migrate the platform from Oracle 11g to Oracle 19c database architecture.
Bangladesh Bank approved the temporary operational suspension through a directive issued on Wednesday. The central bank sanctioned the upgrade on the condition that the state-owned lender conduct adequate publicity campaigns to notify account holders across the country.
Regular financial operations and customer services are expected to resume immediately after the scheduled downtime concludes at 11:59 pm on Saturday. The circular said normal banking activities will restart on schedule, provided technical teams encounter no unexpected system complications.
Source: The Business Standard
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called for transforming the agricultural sector into a profitable enterprise on Thursday during a visit to Gazipur. Speaking at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, he said farming must generate sufficient income to stop producers from abandoning cultivation.
The president said northern region farmers produce large quantities of potatoes but fail to receive fair prices. He said cultivators are compelled to dump potatoes on roads, while subsequent seed costs rise and retail vegetable rates escalate significantly upon reaching Dhaka.
The president urged concerned authorities to extend cold storage facilities to preserve perishable goods for extended periods. He stressed focusing on preservation and processing to prevent financial losses from surplus harvests, adding that the private sector must be involved in improving these technologies.
The president urged the agriculture minister to revise pension regulations for researchers to attract talented personnel into agricultural sciences. Noting excessive chemical fertiliser usage degrades soil health, he stressed raising farmers' awareness and ensuring the application of sustainable agricultural technologies.
Source: BSS
The government announced a long-term agricultural plan on Thursday to increase national cotton production 8.5-fold to 19 lakh bales by 2050. Under the initiative, the Cotton Development Board will expand commercial cultivation from 39 to 53 administrative districts across 2 lakh hectares.
Bangladesh currently produces 2.24 lakh bales, meeting only 3 to 4 per cent of annual industrial demand. To support the garment export sector, the country spent Tk 80,000 crore to import 7.3 million bales of raw cotton and yarn during fiscal 2025-26.
Cotton Development Board Executive Director Md Rezaul Amin said the phased roadmap targets 5 lakh bales within four years and 10 lakh bales by 2040. CDB specialist Dr Md Gazi Golam Mortuza said cotton provides higher profitability than traditional crops.
The agency plans to expand cultivation across charlands, the Barind tract and drought-prone regions following directives from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. However, officials said successful implementation requires recruiting specialised personnel to fill 381 vacant posts across the organisation.
Source: BSS
Netflix will cut 1,000 jobs globally to address slowing subscriber expansion and rising market competition. The planned reductions represent roughly 6 per cent of the total workforce, marking the largest staff reduction round at the streaming service since 2022.
The retrenchments will primarily affect human resources, legal, product and technology teams globally. The cuts follow competition from free video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok alongside industry consolidation, including Paramount's $110 billion merger with Warner Bros.
Netflix Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said the company was 'not growing as fast' as desired, while Co-Chief Executive Greg Peters said disciplined resource allocation remains vital. eMarketer analyst Ross Benes said the business struggles to diversify revenue beyond subscriptions.
Managers will notify affected employees soon regarding redundancy decisions, while the enterprise maintains that it remains on track to meet financial forecasts. The streaming company will release quarterly earnings results on 20 October as it expands into gaming and allows advertising.
Source: BBC
That concludes today’s briefing. Stay with Beyond Headlines for in-depth news and analysis, explainers, opinion pieces, long reads, and more.
Beyond Headlines brings together the five biggest business stories of the day in one concise news digest to keep readers informed about the developments that matter. Here’s the news digest for 14th October 2026.
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Beyond Headlines brings together the five biggest business stories of the day in one concise business digest to keep readers informed about the developments that matter. Here’s the business digest for 13th October 2026.
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