ACME Lab Sponsor Plans Share Sale to Resolve Sinha Securities Shortfall

Writing off bad debts behind negative equity is crucial to resolving a decade-long issue affecting market growth. Despite repeated time extensions, market intermediaries have failed to meet provisioning requirements against unrealized losses in margin accounts.

Padma Bank, facing severe financial difficulties, has requested Tk 1,300 crore in liquidity support from Bangladesh Bank to repay depositors. The bank's CEO, Kazi Md Talha, stated that the application for support was made last week, but no response has been received yet.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating Salman F Rahman, former adviser to the PM, and Shah Alam Sarwar, former MD of IFIC Bank, for their involvement in a loan scam totaling Tk 19.07 billion. Allegations include abuse of power, irregularities, and loan disbursements without proper competition, with funds misused for five companies.

Bangladesh's interim government accuses Adani Power of breaching a 2017 power deal by withholding tax benefits from its Godda plant, which supplies energy to Bangladesh at significantly higher costs than similar deals.

Global fund manager Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) predicts a bullish outlook for Bangladesh's stock market in the second half of 2025, driven by an economic turnaround. Despite a negative return in 2024, Bangladesh's market is expected to rebound due to reforms and declining interest rates.