Bangladesh Taxes Solar Panels at 58.6% While a 16.9% EU Trade Penalty Builds on the Horizon. The Maths Do Not Work.
Import duty on solar panels in Bangladesh: 58.6%. Import duty on lithium-ion batteries: 58.6%. Import duty on lead-acid batteries: 89.32%. Meanwhile, the EU’s CBAM carbon tax on apparel is coming in 2030 and SANEM estimates it could wipe out 30% of Bangladesh’s EU garment exports. Bangladesh is taxing the solution to the crisis that will cost it $14 billion a year.
Bangladesh’s Banks Are on the Global ISSB Watch List. The Green Capital the Country Needs Depends on What They Do Next
Bangladesh Bank mandated ISSB-aligned sustainability disclosures for banks in December 2023. The 2026 phase requires ‘more detailed disclosures.’ Bangladesh is formally profiled by the IFRS Foundation alongside Australia and Brazil. International investors are comparing Bangladesh’s banks to peers in those countries. Bangladesh needs $980M per year for its 2030 renewable target. Almost none of it arrives without credible disclosures.
“My Body Is Burning.” Inside Bangladesh’s Garment Factories, Heat Is the ESG Crisis Nobody Is Reporting Until Now.
Parliament unanimously passed the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on April 9. The 20% union threshold is gone. Blacklisting is now illegal. Sexual harassment is defined in law for the first time. And this single law directly answers the US forced labour investigation, the EU GSP+ compliance requirement, and global buyer due diligence demands, simultaneously.
The World Just Changed How Companies Report Sustainability. Bangladesh is on the List and 2026 is the Year That Matters.
36 jurisdictions are now adopting ISSB sustainability disclosure standards. Bangladesh is one of only 17 formally profiled by the IFRS Foundation alongside Australia, Brazil, and Malaysia. Bangladesh Bank’s mandate puts 2026 as the year for ‘more detailed disclosures.’ This is not a future deadline. It is the current financial year.
Bangladesh Announced 10,000 MW of Solar on Public Land. Now It Has to Actually Build It.
Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani announced that Bangladesh will build 10,000 MW of solar on state-owned land by 2030. Currently installed: 1,690 MW. Every renewable target since 2008 has been missed. This time has to be different. Here is what it would take