Today’s top 5 business stories

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 18th October 2026.

Govt to form new RMG wage board soon

A new wage board will be formed soon to recommend a revised pay structure for garment workers, Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder said.

The gazette notification would be issued this month, he hoped, adding that the ministry is awaiting nominations for worker and employer representatives before formally constituting the board.

The wage board will comprise a chairperson, an independent member, representatives of workers and employers, and industry-specific members. In setting the new wage structure, the board will consider domestic economic conditions, wage levels in neighbouring countries and the on-the-ground realities of factories.

The secretary said the ministry will not unilaterally set wage levels through administrative action. Regarding ongoing unrest, he said the government maintains a positive stance toward workers' demands, while tripartite discussions involving workers, employers and the government concern the Labour Rules.

The National Tripartite Consultative Council will meet on 27 October, chaired by the labour minister, to discuss the formation of a wage board and the drafting of labour rules. The secretary said the administration remains vigilant to prevent external vested interest groups from inciting unrest.

Source: The Business Standard

BB reports forex reserves of US$36.39 billion

Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserves reached US 36.39 billion on Saturday, according to the latest official data released by Bangladesh Bank. 

Reserves calculated under the International Monetary Fund's BPM6 methodology stood at US 31.58 billion.

Source: The Financial Express, BSS

EU apparel imports from Bangladesh fall 11.67 per cent

European Union apparel imports from Bangladesh fell 11.67 per cent year-on-year to 11.93 billion euros between January and August, according to Eurostat data. The decline reduced Bangladesh's market share within the trading bloc to 19.78 per cent.

Bangladesh shipped 866.76 million kilograms of apparel during the period, reflecting a 4.58 per cent volume contraction as unit prices dropped. While most major competitors recorded shipment declines, China generated 19.71 billion euros, and Vietnam reached 3 billion euros.

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association Executive President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan said Bangladesh was losing ground to China and Vietnam. He said Vietnam's reliance on man-made fibres and faster delivery schedules gave its manufacturers distinct operational advantages.

Former BGMEA director Mohiuddin Rubel said competitors' competitive pricing had affected Bangladesh's exports. Exporters said domestic manufacturers require comparable government policy support, market and product diversification, innovation and research to maintain competitiveness in the EU market.

Source: New Age

FAO to provide $447,000 for pesticide safety and women's businesses

Bangladesh signed two grant agreements worth $447,000 with the Food and Agriculture Organization on Sunday to promote safer pesticide management and women-led green businesses. The Economic Relations Division finalised the partnership in Dhaka to implement the projects.

Under the arrangement, $200,000 will fund a four-year initiative under the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme to improve pesticide lifecycle governance. Project documents indicate that over 30 per cent of vegetables in Bangladesh carry excessive chemical residues, requiring stronger enforcement and residue testing.

A separate grant of $247,000 will finance a 24-month programme titled Green Roots Women's Farm Labs, piloted jointly in Bangladesh and Uganda. The project adapts the Farmer Field School framework to help rural women launch environmentally friendly micro-enterprises through training, technology and financial access.

According to an official press release, ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky and FAO Representative in Bangladesh Jiaoqun Shi signed the agreements. The project will support digital registration systems, stronger enforcement, improved laboratory capacity for residue testing and raise farmers' awareness of safe pesticide use.

Source: The Daily Star

IDRA bars life insurers from forcing new policy purchases

The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority barred life insurance companies from requiring policyholders or nominees to purchase new policies before receiving claims. 

The directive also prohibited insurers from deducting new premium payments from existing policy settlements to safeguard customer interests.

In an official circular, IDRA said companies conditioned maturity, death and survival settlements on purchasing additional policies. IDRA ordered insurers to transfer claim amounts into customer bank accounts in a single transaction within 90 days, permitting deductions solely for statutory government revenue.

The circular restricted issuing new policies to customers whose maturity claims are settled late. Insurers settling a maturity claim between 91 and 120 days cannot sell new policies to that policyholder for 30 days. Claims delayed beyond 120 days bar new sales to that customer for 180 days.

Insurers settling maturity claims within 90 days face no restrictions on selling new policies to that customer. IDRA said conditioning payouts on new purchases damaged the insurance industry and created customer dissatisfaction. The regulator circulated the directive to top officials of all life insurance companies.

Source: The Daily Star

That concludes today’s briefing. Stay with Beyond Headlines for in-depth news and analysis, explainers, opinion pieces, long reads, and more.