World-Bank

Global energy prices could rise by 32% in 2026 due to the conflict in the Middle East. This could put fresh pressure on Bangladesh’s economy, which relies heavily on energy imports. Higher energy import costs would increase pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves. They could also raise electricity generation and industrial production costs, transportation expenses and food prices. This could further complicate efforts to control inflation. The forecast of rising energy prices...

Bangladesh is seeking assistance from international lenders to manage pressure on its financial sector. The government wants to borrow a total of $14.5 billion from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cover additional subsidies in the energy sector and address the broader economic crisis. Of this amount, Bangladesh is seeking $10 billion from the World Bank and expects to receive $4.5 billion from the IMF. The issue of Bangladesh’s loan requests was discussed on the...

The World Bank has provided a $700 million guarantee to help Bangladesh pay for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. At first glance, this appears to be a major relief for the country’s energy sector. The guarantee will make it easier to open letters of credit (LCs) with international banks and increase funding for LNG supplies. However, new concerns are emerging beneath this apparent relief. Energy experts are questioning the terms of the guarantee, the debt burden, the pressure of rising...

Bangladesh ranks 94th in the world in terms of geographical area. However, despite its relatively small size, Bangladesh ranks first in the world in terms of the share of arable land relative to its total land area. About 60.6 percent of the country’s total land is arable. These findings were published in a ranking prepared by international media outlet Visual Capitalist using World Bank statistics. It said geographical size is not the only measure of a country’s agricultural fertility. D...

Bangladesh’s international trade and export sector are facing discrimination due to high tariffs and para tariffs, according to the World Bank. The organization said that outside the readymade garment sector, selling goods in the local market is more profitable than exporting them, creating a form of “antiexport bias” in the economy. Against this backdrop, the World Bank has urged trade policy reforms and tariff reductions ahead of Bangladesh’s graduation from the Least Developed Country (...

The World Bank has approved a $450 million loan to support reforms in Bangladesh’s banking sector. The financing aims to strengthen the sector’s foundation, ensure protection for small depositors, and enhance the supervisory capacity of Bangladesh Bank. It will also support economic recovery and...

The geographical borders have not changed. Nevertheless, Pakistan and Afghanistan are no longer part of the South Asia region. The World Bank has somewhat quietly removed the two countries from the South Asia region on its global development map. From the 2026 fiscal year, these countries will be co...