State-owned Sonali Bank has successfully navigated the financial turbulence caused by high-profile loan defaults, including those associated with the Hall-Mark Group, and has reinforced its financial foundation. The bank is now firmly on a trajectory towards substantial profitability, while simultaneously increasing its use of technology to improve transparency and expand its outreach to a broader […]

Bangladesh’s insurance regulator, the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), has introduced a landmark reform in the non-life insurance sector by scrapping agent licences and banning all commission payments. Announced on 7 January 2026, this directive effectively prohibits the country’s 45 non-life insurers from employing agents for premium collection, marking one of the most significant […]