Wednesday’s morning business round up of Bangladesh

Last updated: February 11, 2015

Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The BBN has prepared the morning business round up compiling reports, published by different newspapers and news portals in Bangladesh.

BB alerts banks on terror financing
The central bank has asked the commercial banks for taking the highest level of precautionary measures so that no one can use the banking channel for terror financing both at home and aboard. The directive was given at an emergency meeting of the chief executive officers (CEOs) and CAMLCOs (chief anti-money laundering compliance officials) of the banks, held at the central bank headquarters in Dhaka Tuesday with Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB) Abu Hena Mohammad Razee Hassan in the chair. As part of the measures, the CEOs and Managing Directors of the commercial banks will have to send cautionary messages to their respective branches across the country by February 11 to take action in this regard.

B’desh, other LDCs may get waiver under WTO

Bangladesh is expected to get waiver from a number of compulsions in services sector soon under the initiative of the WTO that will enable the country’s export of skilled and unskilled professionals to developed countries. Nearly 25 industrialised nations have already committed to open up their services sector for least developed countries with flexible rules and regulations, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed said on Tuesday. He said the remaining other members of the global forum will commit gradually. The developed countries will notify the WTO their wish-list containing sectors to be opened up under the vast services sector for Bangladesh and other LDCS by July, an expert of the commerce ministry said.

Turmoil takes steam off solar power project
The much-applauded solar power programme took a hit in January due to the ongoing political unrest, with the installation of solar home systems dropping by around 5 percent from the previous month. Last month, some 44,302 units of solar home systems were installed across the country, down from 46,569 in December last year.   The installation is now on a decreasing trend due to the disruption in supply chain brought about by the non-stop countrywide blockade from January 6, said Mahmood Malik, chief executive of Infrastructure Development Company Ltd. Idcol provides grants and soft loans to villagers through its 47 partners to install the home systems in off-grid areas.

Strike extended till 6am Friday

The BNP-called ongoing 72-hour countrywide strike which is due to end Wednesday morning in Bangladesh was extended till 6:00am Friday. The 20-party alliance extended the strike to protest the disconnection of internet, telephone and cable television lines and jamming of the mobile phone network to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office. More than six hour after severing the power line on January 31, the authorities concerned disconnect the cable, internet and telephone services and also jammed the mobile phone network to Khaleda’s office.

BB to get names of Bangladeshis in HSBC leaks
The central bank will try to acquire information on the Bangladeshi nationals who held accounts with HSBC's Swiss private banking arm, a top official said yesterday. The British banking giant allegedly operated a giant tax evasion scheme via its Swiss subsidiary, HSBC Private Bank (Suisse). The revelation comes after a former staffer of HSBC Private Bank, Herve Falciani, secreted away a list of accounts at the branch in Geneva and the conversations between the clients and the bank between 2006 and 2007.

Dev work goes limping
Government's development-project execution still crosses a bumpy road as the ministries spent only 32 per cent of the ADP outlay in seven months, for reasons that include protracted disruptive political actions, according to sources.   The deceleration of spending of the development budget in the July-January period of this fiscal could not be averted despite several corrective steps, officials said Tuesday.
BNP wants int’l community to intervene
Bangladesh Nationalist Party is establishing contacts with the international community, particularly powerful nations and organisations, to seek their ‘intervention’ in overcoming the current political stalemate in Bangladesh. BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman told New Age on Tuesday that definitely BNP had been maintaining communications with the international community.  ‘In the present era of globalisation, it is an imperative to maintain good relations with all,’ he added. Mahbub said Bangladesh had plunged into a ‘political crisis’ and it was a problem of law and order, and hence it must be solved politically.

Bangladesh’s stocks see steep rise
Bangladesh’s stocks saw sharp rise on Tuesday after witnessing marginal gains in the last five trading sessions as investors went for buying spree on large-cap stocks amid optimism. The market opened with an upward trend in the morning which sustained till the market closure despite political worries.
DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went up by 74.12 points or 1.57 percent to close at 4,786.69 points. The two other indices also saw sharp gain.

BBN/SSR/AD-11Feb15-10:54 am (BST)

 

 

 

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