All bank branches are open from today 

All branches of commercial banks are open from today to offer banking services for a limited period, a Bangladesh Bank official told The Daily Star today. Transactions at the bank branches will begin at 10:00am and continue until 3:00pm. The banks will remain open until 3:30pm for the completion of official activities. The new banking hours have been set in light of the government’s decision to keep offices open from 9:00am to 3:00pm for the next three days until Tuesday. Meanwhile, trading at the stock markets will begin at 10:00am and close at 1:50pm. The post-closing session has been set from 1:50pm to 2:00pm.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/all-bank-branches-open-tomorrow-3663226

4,000 MW projects fully planned by 2030

Some 4,000 MW worth of projects are fully planned for completion by 2030. According to the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), Bangladesh currently produces 1,374.35 MW from renewable sources, with 230 MW from hydropower and 1,080.36 MW from solar energy. Power Cell documents, reviewed by UNB, show that projects totalling 3,963.5 MW are at different implementation stages. Specifically, 943.5 MW of projects are under construction, 609 MW have received letters of intent (LOI) or notifications of award (NOA), 228 MW are in the tendering process, and 2,183 MW remain in the planning stage. During a regional climate conference last year, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid asserted that 10,000 MW of renewable energy projects were being implemented. He also informed the conference, titled “Ensuring Access to Affordable, Reliable and Modern Energy Services Towards a Resilient South Asia,” that the government has set a target to generate 24,000 MW of electricity from renewable sources by 2041.

Source: https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade-market/4000-mw-projects-fully-planned-by-2030-says-power-cell-document-1722097860

Oil prices steady

Oil prices were broadly steady on Thursday as investors took profits from earlier gains fuelled by larger than expected declines in US crude stocks. Brent futures dipped 13 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $84.95 a barrel by 1120 GMT and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 6 cents, or 0.1 percent, at $82.79. Both had registered gains in the previous session. Crude inventories in the United States, the world’s largest oil consumer, fell by 4.9 million barrels last week, data from the US Energy Information Administration showed on Wednesday. That exceeds a decline of 30,000 barrels forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll and a drop of 4.4 million barrels in an American Petroleum Institute report.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/global-economy/europe/news/oil-prices-steady-3662146