Import of six Ramadan essentials to be eased

The government has decided to write to the Bangladesh Bank to ease the import process for six essential commodities that witness heightened demand around the month of Ramadan. The Ministry of Commerce is expected to issue the letter on Thursday to facilitate the import of chickpeas, pulses, dates, edible oil, sugar, and onion by allowing a discounted or zero LC margin. The move is aimed at keeping the supply flowing during the fasting month amid the ongoing dollar crisis. The month of Ramadan will start from early March. The oil supply is currently robust, with more expected in the coming two months.

Source: https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/import-six-ramadan-essentials-be-eased-768990

Chattogram customs sees 4% growth in revenues amid falling imports

The Chattogram Custom House witnessed a 4% revenue growth year-on-year in 2023 despite nearly 6% fall in imports through the country’s largest Chattogram port. Businessmen say the rise in import cost due to devaluation of the local currency taka and an increase in assessment value by Customs mainly contributed to the surge in revenues. According to Custom House data, the total volume of imports through Chattogram Port was 10.70 crore tonnes in 2023, which was 5.80% lower than that of 2022. The total value of those imported goods was Tk1,72,000 crore, a 3% decline from that of the calendar year 2022. Chattogram customs earned Tk64,616 crore in revenues in 2023 from export and import duty, a 4% percent rise year-on-year.

Source: https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/ctg-customs-revenue-falls-below-six-month-target-still-sees-9-yoy-growth-768930

Dhaka Bank Launches Co-Branded Credit Card for ICAB Members

Dhaka Bank PLC unveiled exclusive co-branded VISA Signature Credit Card for the members and employees of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAB) at the ICAB Members’ Night 2023 held at a city hotel recently. Emranul Huq, Managing Director & CEO of Dhaka Bank, Ashish Chakraborty, Director, Business Development-South Asia Visa, and Md Moniruzzaman, President of ICAB, were present at the event. This co-branded credit card is available in signature variant. Any member and employee of ICAB would be eligible to avail this credit card service.

Source: https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade-market/dhaka-bank-launches-co-branded-credit-card-for-icab-members-1704301846