Establishment of separate SME bank suggested
A taskforce has suggested establishment of a separate bank or a similar institution to cater the financing need of the small and medium entrepreneurs...
Tags : SME
Bank Asia, IFC sign deal on MSME dev
Bank Asia PLC will receive $35 million from International Finance Corporation, a private sector arm of the World Bank Group, said a press release...
SME Foundation seeks funds to implement SME Policy 2025
The Small and Medium Enterprise Foundation has called for regular budget allocations to implement the newly drafted SME Policy 2025 effectively, along with consistent monitoring of its progress...
New SME policy with no new strategies deplorable
THIS is unfortunate that the proposed National Small and Medium Enterprise Policy 2025 offers almost no new strategies to facilitate the growth of the sector. The proposal appears to echo the strategies of the 2019 policy that failed to help the sector grow. Such a repetition of failed strategies reflects, as experts say, the government鈥檚 lack of commitment to...
SME entrepreneurs stress anti-corruption measures, supportive policies
Small and medium enterprises entrepreneurs at a workshop on Sunday emphasised the need for taking anti-corruption measures and supportive policies for the flourishing of this sector, saying that they are bearing the brunt of corruption when it comes to doing their business....
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: Rights activists stress law, changing mindset
Rights activists and other speakers at a meeting on Thursday called for enactment of a law to prevent sexual harassment and gender-based violence...
Proposed SME policy repetition of failed one聽
The National Small and Medium Enterprise Policy 2025 has been drafted without any major changes in strategies adopted in the recently expired policy that failed to achieve the main targets.
Agrani Bank CEO exchanges views in Jashore
Agrani Bank PLC officials discussed business plan for 2025, core deposit collection, remittance collection, loan distribution in the CMSME sector, reduction of classified loans and strengthening loan recovery activities in Jashore...
StanChart, SME Foundation hold training for women
Standard Chartered Bank, in collaboration with SME Foundation, organised a three-day long training programme on 鈥極nline Business Management and Financial Inclusion鈥� for women entrepreneurs of Bogura.
Labour Reform Commission Meeting: Women workers' rights stressed
Rights campaigners at a meeting with the labour reform commission on Tuesday highlighted the importance of maternity leave for women workers, sufficient day-care facilities for working women and strict measures against sexual harassment...
Bio-Xin Cosmeceuticals launches year-end sale
Bio-Xin Cosmeceuticals has launched year-end sale for December, said a press release...
A city still asleep on women鈥檚 safety
FOR most women, going out of the house requires a lot of planning. From crowded streets and public transport to workplaces, the challenges that women face in staying safe are constant and exhausting. Citizens now call for women鈥檚 safety on the road and in public spaces. Everyone wants change. Women want to walk without the fear of being harassed or attacked...
BB relaxes loan classification, provisioning rules for CMSMEs
The Bangladesh Bank has relaxed the rules of loan classification and provisioning for the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises sector to create more employment opportunities through increasing investment...
IFC invests $50m in City Bank to support SME businesses in Bangladesh
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is investing $50 million in City Bank PLC to help SMEs in Bangladesh grow, create jobs, and boost economic recovery, says a press release.
Govt needs to simplify rules, regulations for SMEs
THE cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises continue to suffer from complex rules and regulations and a lack of access to loans in the absence of effective and inclusive policies. A recent study by the SME Foundation, based on 304 SMEs in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi, finds that most entrepreneurs struggle...
Tax structure, bureaucratic hurdles top challenges for SMEs: study
Some 57 per cent of SME entrepreneurs has mentioned tax structure as the main obstacle to doing business in compliance with the law while 54 per cent of entrepreneurs considered the trade licence renewal process as an obstacle...
Journalists asked to report harassment cases filed since July 1
The government on Sunday called upon the journalists to send information with proof about harassment cases filed against them since July 1...
BBDN, SME Foundation sign deal to boost financial inclusion
The Bangladesh Business and Disability Network and SME Foundation have signed an agreement that outlines a shared commitment to advancing the agenda of accessible financial services for entrepreneurs with disabilities, with a focus on advocacy, product development and capacity-building initiatives in the banking and financial sectors...
Sexual harassment at work
SEXUAL harassment, widespread in both formal and informal sectors, has significantly hindered women鈥檚 participation in the workforce. This form of abuse extends beyond the...
Coordination among agencies crucial for SME dev: experts
Coordination among agencies and structural reforms are crucial for SME development, said experts at a focus group discussion on Saturday.
BAU suspends professor over sexually harassing Malaysian student
Bangladesh Agricultural University has suspended Md Harun-or-Rashid, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, allegedly for sexually harassing a Malaysian female student.
JU students demand punishment of teacher
Jahangirnagar University environmental sciences department students on Sunday staged a sit-in in front of the department, demanding punishment for a teacher of the department, Amir Hossain Bhuiyan, who is alleged to have sexually harassed several female students of the department...
Govt working to make SMEs more active: Adilur
Industries adviser Adilur Rahman Khan on Wednesday said that the government was working to make the small and medium enterprises more active and vibrant...
CSA should be repealed to stop abuse, harassment
THIS is alarming that the tendency to muzzle any voice critical of the government is repeated by the political groups that have been vocal against legal harassment of dissenting voice and political opposition during the tenure of the toppled Awami League regime. A case was filed on September 24 under repressive clauses of the Cyber Security Act against a man...
VIP services for returnee migrants at airports: Asif Nazrul
To stop harassment of migrant workers at the airports on their return the government would ensure VIP services for them within a time period between two weeks and one month, said expatriates鈥� welfare and overseas employment adviser Asif Nazrul on Tuesday...
DU sexual harassment cell reform demanded
A group of female students of Dhaka University on Monday submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor of the university Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, demanding the reformation of the...
Students and suicide
THE escalating suicide rates among students in Bangladesh present a grave and complex issue, influenced by a host of socio-economic and psychological factors. Media reported that 513 students took their own lives in 2023, of which 227 are school students.聽Contributing factors include family discord, mental health struggles, academic stress, high expectations from parents and educators, sexual harassment, substance abuse, romantic disappointments, hormonal imbalances in teenagers, and internet addiction...
DCCI urges NBR for CMSME-friendly tax structure
The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday urged the National board of Revenue to formulate a tax structure that would be friendly to the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprise businesses...
JU students demand safe campus for women
The students of Jahangirnagar University on Wednesday staged a demonstration protesting against the sexual harassment of women students on the campus.
DCCI seeks increased credit flow to CMSMEs
The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday called upon authorities concerned to increase credit flow to the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises...