ShareTrip and Malaysian Health Tourism Forge Strategic Alliance

State-owned InterContinental Dhaka has requested Tk900 crore in financial aid from the government to recover from mounting losses post-renovation. The proposal includes Tk400 crore via share issuance in the government’s name and a Tk500 crore long-term loan.

Bangladeshi medical tourists have dominated India’s medical tourism sector for years, making up nearly 70% of foreign patients. Between 2017 and 2022, their numbers grew by 48%, reaching 70.8% of total medical tourists in 2023. However, the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024, led to diplomatic tensions, visa restrictions, and a sharp decline in Bangladeshi patients traveling to India.

Due to US President Donald Trump’s decision to halt foreign aid, over 1,000 staff members at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b) in Bangladesh have lost their jobs. The affected employees were primarily working on USAID-funded projects and were employed on a contractual basis.

Due to political instability and visa restrictions following Sheikh Hasina's fall on August 5, India has limited visa issuance to Bangladeshi citizens, causing a significant impact on tourism and business. There was a 28.44% decrease in Bangladeshi tourists visiting India in August, September, and October 2023 compared to the previous year.

Standard Chartered Bangladesh and Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute & Hospital (IIEI&H) have partnered to establish 71 Eye Health Camps for adults and 1,667 Student Sight Testing Programmes (SSTP) for school children, according to UNB. This initiative will benefit 10,000 adults in Dhaka and 250,000 students across Naogaon, Jamalpur, Barishal, Borguna, and Moulvibazar.

Midland Bank PLC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with "Easy to Europe" and "TripZik Limited" at the bank’s head office. Under this agreement, both organizations will utilize Midland Bank’s advanced online Cash Management solution, Midland Cash Management (MCM), to streamline their daily business banking and cash management activities across the country.