Defaulted loans at Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs) in Bangladesh amounted to Tk 27,541 crore, representing 35.7 percent of total loans as of June 2025. The figure was an increase of Tk 352 crore from the previous quarter (March 2025), according to Bangladesh Bank data. Financial experts said that the default loans in NBFIs surged to the current level due mainly to past irregularities, poor governance, and weakened supervision. The total outstanding loan amount in the NBFIs declined slightly to Tk 73,662 crore in September from Tk 74,533 crore at the end of June.

Bangladesh Bank has moved to shut down nine NBFIs after they failed to return depositors' money, collapsed under massive non-performing loans, and suffered crippling capital shortfalls. Currently, there are 35 NBFIs operating in the country, but many of them have been in deep trouble for years, forcing regulators to finally take drastic measures.

Courts have frozen assets worth about Tk 57,257 crore, allegedly owned by 10 major business groups and members of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's family, in over eight months from January. The orders were issued as a high-level joint task force is investigating 11 priority cases -- one involving Hasina's family and the others S Alam Group, Beximco Group, Summit Group, Bashundhara Group, Gemcon Group, Orion Group, Nabil Group, Nassa Group, Sikder Group, and Aramit Group.

According to the task force, Tk 43,385 crore of these assets are movable and Tk 13,871.56 crore immovable. The document, outlining the progress of the investigations, shows that Tk 46,805.32 crore of the assets are in Bangladesh, while the remaining Tk 10,451.54 crore are abroad. The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) formed the task force on January 6, following a directive from the Financial Institutions Division of the Finance Ministry.

Chattogram city has seen a surge in road accidents, with 44 percent of vehicles violating speed limits set by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), according to a recent survey. Among all modes of vehicles, motorcycles are the biggest risk, with 70 percent of riders found exceeding the speed limit. The findings were unveiled yesterday at a programme held at Peninsula Hotel in Chattogram.

The study, titled "Road Safety Risk Factors in Chattogram: Status Summary Report 2024," was conducted by the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Chattogram City Corporation and Vital Strategies. The initiative, part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, seeks to lower road crash fatalities worldwide. While presenting the findings, Shirin Wadhania, a researcher from the JH-IIRU, said that the Chattogram City Road Safety Report 2021-23 showed 92 percent of road accident victims were pedestrians, motorcyclists, and three-wheeler passengers.

Police detained 244 leaders and activists of the Awami League, whose activities have been banned, and its affiliated organisations while they brought out flash processions in various places of the capital. During the detention, police also seized 14 crude bombs and seven banners from their possessions. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SM Nazrul Islam disclosed the information at a press conference at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Wednesday (Sep. 24).

SM Nazrul Islam said that the leaders and activists of the Awami League and its front organisations were arrested while carrying out flash processions. They were detained from Uttara, Farmgate, and Tejgaon areas of Dhaka, he said, adding that they had come from Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Gazipur, and Gopalganj. Nazrul Islam further stated that earlier, more than 500 leaders and activists had been arrested from different areas of the capital through continuous drives by the DMP.