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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 27th October 2026.
Foreign loan disbursement to Bangladesh plunged 42.34 per cent year-on-year to $662.3 million in the July–September quarter of the 2026–27 fiscal year from $1,148.6 million in the same period a year earlier, an Economic Relations Division report showed on Monday.
Meanwhile, debt servicing rose 5.57 per cent from $1,279.9 million to $1,351.2 million – comprising $858.9 million in principal and $492.31 million in interest—exceeding disbursements by 104.03 per cent.
In 2025–26, repayments reached a record $4,494.1 million, up 10 per cent from $4,086.9 million in 2024–25, while annual disbursements fell 5.83 per cent to $8.07 billion.
First-quarter disbursements included $196.5 million from the World Bank, $162.1 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), $105 million from India, $44.7 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), $20.7 million from Russia, $14.7 million from China and $118.7 million from others, while the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) released nothing.
Although quarterly loan commitments rose nearly 40 per cent from $910.7 million to $1,273.03 million—including $3.5 million from JICA and $1,269.5 million from other donors—analysts expressed concern as the World Bank, ADB, AIIB, India, China and Russia made no commitments for new projects.
Former World Bank Dhaka office lead economist Zahid Hossain said expiring grace periods on past mega-project loans and budget support were driving up repayments and future economic pressure. With economic sluggishness persisting eight months into the new government, he urged securing low-interest budget support for immediate cash dollars rather than slow project procurement loans, warning that currently satisfactory reserves would lose comfort if imports rise.
Source: bdnews24.com
Bangladesh's revived Dhakai Muslin is set for commercial export to global markets under the second phase of a government project worth Tk 18.5 crore, following the successful completion of a 500-yard fabric order for an international buyer.
Luxury brands from the United States, France and Japan have expressed strong interest in the fabric as production technology is being transferred to private entrepreneurs through the Dhakai Muslin House in Tarabo, Rupganj, Narayanganj.
Renowned since at least 500 BC and coveted across the Roman, Greek and Arab worlds, Dhakai Muslin reached its zenith during the Mughal era, when varieties such as ‘Malmal Khas’, ‘Ab-e-Rawan’ and ‘Shabnam’ became synonymous with luxury.
So fine that it could pass through a ring or fit inside a matchbox, the fabric was last showcased at London's Great Exhibition in 1851.
The industry disappeared about 170 years ago, brought down by a combination of imported textiles from Manchester mills, punitive colonial taxation, the persecution of weavers and the extinction of Phuti Karpas, the unique cotton once grown along the Meghna basin.
Drawing on descriptions in Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus's 1788 writings, a Bangladesh Handloom Board research team launched a revival effort in 2014.
Researchers collected 39 wild cotton varieties from Kapasia in Gazipur, Baghabari and Rajshahi, and matched their DNA with samples preserved at London's Victoria and Albert Museum to identify and cultivate the authentic ‘Phuti Karpas’ cotton once used to weave Dhakai Muslin.
The team also recreated more than 50 specialised tools required for the fabric's intricate 16-step production process. These included using boal fish jawbones to clean fibres and spinning thread on traditional takli and spindles in the humid morning and evening air of the Shitalakshya river basin.
The revived muslin achieved a thread count of 731-750, far surpassing the 40-80 count typical of ordinary cotton fabrics, and secured Geographical Indication (GI) status in December 2020.
More than 300 marginalised women have since been trained as spinners. The Ministry of Textiles and Jute recently announced the development of an improved cotton variety and plans for contract farming in Kapasia, Rajshahi and Cumilla to expand production.
Officials hope mass cultivation of Phuti Karpas and wider private-sector participation will lower production costs, making the fabric more accessible. A muslin saree, which can take two to four weavers several months to complete, currently sells for around Tk 3.6 lakh. The goal is to bring prices down to between Tk 1 lakh and Tk 3 lakh initially, with further reductions over time.
Source: BSS
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday welcomed projected Japanese private investment of up to one trillion yen in Bangladesh over the next five years, expected to create 200,000 jobs.
The projection was outlined in a joint statement following Tokyo summit talks with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Praising Tarique Rahman's investment promotion, Takaichi urged business environment improvements, while Tarique pledged transparent taxation, customs, remittance and licensing procedures.
Both welcomed the Economic Partnership Agreement, three economic, agriculture and fisheries memorandums, resilient supply chains and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership talks.
The leaders launched 'BIG-B for Shared Prosperity' to develop the Matarbari Deep-Sea Port hub, Dhaka's MRT lines and Dhaka airport's third terminal. Tarique Rahman appreciated a 50-billion-yen energy loan, local governance funding, a climate intent letter, a defence pact, a patrol vessel and five patrol boats.
Welcoming February's election and Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman's UN General Assembly presidency, Takaichi joined calls for Rohingya repatriation, reopening the Hormuz Strait, Gaza's reconstruction and UN Security Council reform.
Source: BSS
All scheduled banks across the country will remain closed on 7 November on the occasion of National Revolution and Solidarity Day, Bangladesh Bank (BB) announced on Monday.
In a circular issued in Dhaka on 26 October 2026, the central bank stated that the general holiday will apply to all scheduled banks operating across Bangladesh.
According to the central bank circular, the decision to keep scheduled banks closed was taken in line with a memorandum issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on 7 October 2026, which declared a general holiday on the occasion of National Revolution and Solidarity Day.
The central bank issued the directive for the 7 November bank closure in the public interest under the authority granted by Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991, the Bangladesh Bank circular said.
Source: BSS
Bangladesh and Malaysia on Tuesday began three-day negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) at Dhaka's Sonargaon Hotel, aiming to conclude a deal in 2027 to boost bilateral trade, which stood at around $2.84 billion in 2025.
Malaysian Trade Ministry Senior Director Dr Rashidi Said led a 31-member delegation, while Bangladesh's chief negotiator, Commerce Additional Secretary Khadija Nazneen, led the local side. The two sides also signed the terms of reference for the negotiations.
Inaugurating the talks, which will continue until 29 October, Commerce Secretary Sharf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury highlighted the longstanding cultural and religious ties between Bangladesh and Malaysia, as well as the momentum generated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Malaysia in June.
Thanking Malaysia for its support for Bangladesh's bid to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), he said a bilateral FTA would help the country navigate its graduation from least developed country status while attracting investment in sectors such as halal products, semiconductor skills development, digital trade, logistics and special economic zones.
Dr Rashidi Said called the FTA a strategic partnership beyond tariff cuts that the Malaysian premier's upcoming visit could boost, while Nazneen said talks on goods, services, rules of origin and customs would cut barriers, simplify procedures and create jobs.
Source: The Financial Express
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 26th October 2026.
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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 25th October 2026.
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