Today’s top 5 business stories

Beyond Headlines brings together the five biggest business stories of the day in one concise business digest to keep readers informed about the developments that matter. Here’s the business digest for 21st September 2026.

DSEX gains 213 points over four sessions as buying spree gathers pace

The Dhaka Stock Exchange’s benchmark DSEX index rose 60 points on 20 September to close at 5,592, extending a four-session winning streak that has added 213 points. The index has gained nearly 4 per cent since falling to 5,379 on 14 September.

Turnover increased by 14 per cent to Tk 747 crore, with 287 issues advancing against 62 declines. The blue-chip DSE30 gained 20 points to 2,121, while the Shariah-based DSES rose 12 points to 1,119.

Market participants attributed the recovery to bargain hunting, expectations of improved industrial gas supplies, and Moody’s recent revision of Bangladesh’s sovereign outlook from "negative" to "stable". A recent decline in 91-day Treasury bill yields may have also encouraged equity allocation.

Textiles led sector turnover at 24 per cent. The Chittagong Stock Exchange also closed higher, with the CASPI gaining 120 points to 14,856.

Source: The Business Standard

Banks to face action for seeking male guarantors from women

Bangladesh Bank has moved to prohibit financial service providers from requiring a male guarantor or co-signer for women’s deposit accounts and loans, classifying the practice as a regulatory violation subject to disciplinary action.

Under the draft ‘National Women’s Financial Inclusion Guidelines’, open for public comment until 27 September, institutions must stop demanding “shadow” documents such as a husband’s national identity card or utility bills in a spouse’s name. The draft notes that 43.1 per cent of women in Bangladesh report being asked for male guarantors despite no legal requirement.

To address the gender gap in formal borrowing, the guidelines require providers to offer at least one women-focused credit product that does not require immovable property as collateral. The central bank has also retained the mandate that at least 15 per cent of financial institutions' CMSME loans be directed to women entrepreneurs or women-owned businesses.

Source: New Age

FAO projects 1.81 crore Bangladeshis face acute food insecurity

Approximately 1.81 crore people in Bangladesh are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between September and December 2026, up 18 per cent from the preceding four months, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The FAO classifies the situation as IPC Phase 3 (crisis) and above, with 7.87 lakh people expected to experience emergency-level conditions. The deterioration is driven by constrained purchasing power amid persistently high inflation, elevated fuel costs linked to Strait of Hormuz disruptions, and recent flooding. The agency noted particular concern for approximately 12 lakh forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, with 35 per cent facing acute food insecurity.

Despite these risks, the UN agency forecasts Bangladesh’s aggregate 2026 paddy output to reach 6.19 crore tonnes, 5 per cent above the four-year average. Consequently, the FAO expects the country's rice imports to fall sharply to 8 lakh tonnes this year.

Source: The Daily Star

Taka strengthens against US dollar, ending five-year depreciation streak

The Bangladeshi Taka has begun appreciating against the US dollar, reversing a five-and-a-half-year depreciation trend, according to a Bangladesh Bank report.

Between 30 August and 17 September, the local currency strengthened by 0.77 per cent, with the exchange rate dropping from a record peak of Tk 123.95 to Tk 123.00 per dollar. From June last year to June this year, the Taka’s value appreciated by 0.06 per cent.

Central bank data showed the currency experienced an unbroken streak of devaluation from 2021 until recently, surging from Tk 85.80 to Tk 123.95—a 45.05 per cent depreciation. The recent recovery aligns with regional trends, as the Malaysian Ringgit, Chinese Yuan, and Pakistani Rupee also gained, while the Indian and Sri Lankan Rupees depreciated.

A stronger Taka is expected to relieve pressure on import expenditures and lower the local currency cost of servicing foreign debt.

Source: The Financial Express

France’s debt to reach highest level since 1978 amid widening deficit

France’s public debt is projected to reach 119.3 per cent of GDP in 2026 and 121.7 per cent in 2027, marking the highest levels since 1978, according to the country's finance ministry.

The surge makes France the third most indebted country in the eurozone, behind Greece and Italy, and more than doubles the EU’s 60 per cent debt limit. The public deficit is forecast to hit 5.4 per cent of GDP this year, up from 5.1 per cent last year, remaining well above the EU’s 3 per cent ceiling.

In response, Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu outlined a draft 2027 budget featuring €54 billion in adjustments and cuts. The French economy is currently facing a downgraded growth forecast for 2026, driven by weak consumer spending and soaring energy prices resulting from the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Source: Euractiv

That concludes today’s briefing. Stay with Beyond Headlines for in-depth news and analysis, explainers, opinion pieces, long reads, and more.