Category: Kingsway Bangladesh

Bangladesh enters the second half of 2026 facing growing pressure to reconcile political transition with increasingly difficult economic reforms. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that she plans to return to Bangladesh at the end of the year, despite risks to her life and of being arrested. Opposition parties continue to campaign for implementation…

Bangladesh announced its largest ever budget this June, a 19% increase on the current budget. The government’s 6.5% GDP growth target also appears ambitious given current economic challenges. Exports and remittances continue to provide important support, but the government's ambitious budget targets are increasingly colliding with structural weaknesses in the banking sector and wider economy.………

With BNP planning its first national council in a decade later this year, there is a renewed focus on reviving dormant associate networks, filling current leadership gaps, as well as bringing in more youth and field-focused individuals to the leadership group and moving on senior leaders to a more advisory role, while also making changes…

BNP leadership has spoken of the need to have stronger laws against enforced disappearances, while the opposition Jamaat party has spoken out against the BNP for not following the mandate of the July Charter reforms. GDP growth has slowed sharply in the current quarter, while exports continue to drop YoY. Remittances continue to perform strongly…

The first session of the new national parliament led to a walkout by members of the opposition following a condolence motion for convicted war crimes of the 1971 Liberation War. Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition party, has also accused BNP of putting its party members into various leadership positions without proper elections and democratic means.…… Read…

The defining development in February was the national elections, which were dominated by the BNP, with Jamaat also recording a notably strong parliamentary showing. The BNP has already set up its cabinet and advisory committee, with Tarique Rahman assuming office as Prime Minister. IMF expects GDP growth to be around 4.7% in both this and…

January was a busy month, with the country gearing up for elections. Khaleda Zia, the BNP Chairperson, a towering figure in Bangladeshi politics, died on December 30, passing on leadership to her son, Tarique Rahman. Election campaigning also began this month. On the economic front, the World Bank has estimated a fall in GDP growth…

The interim government has finally announced the date for next year’s national elections, as well as a national reform referendum. BNP interim chairperson Tarique Rahman has stressed on the importance of the rule of law being the cornerstone of effective democracy in Bangladesh. For the third time this year, the Asian Development Bank has reduced…

A political bombshell landed this month as Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia for her role in last year’s crackdown. BNP says the upcoming February elections offer a rare shot at resetting the country’s democratic compass. The banking system remains fragile - with five Islamic lenders now being forcibly merged - while exports…

BNP is turning up the pressure. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is pushing parties to focus on elections instead of side issues like proportional representation. Meanwhile, the IMF has cut its growth forecast sharply to 4.9%, although inflation is finally starting to ease. Cash still rules - nearly 72% of all transactions - despite efforts to…