|| By Imtiaz Ahmed and Samia Tabassum: The USA gives sermons to developing countries including Bangladesh in political, social, economic and cultural issues throughout the year. Perhaps the sermons got high velocity since the unceremonious departure of former dictator Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024 through mass movement, engineered by general students. Bangladesh has been at high risk of an energy crisis since USA—Israel imposed war on Iran began on February 28, 2026. The new BNP government that inherited a broken economy is struggling to run the country. The local investment scenario in the last two years has not been impressive as entrepreneurs pursued a policy of go-slow during the 18-month long period of the interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Mohammad Yunus. Bangladesh witnessed a credible parliamentary election on February 12, 2026 in which Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) got two-third majority. BNP chairperson Mr Tarique Rahman became Prime Minister of Bangladesh. During the last tenure of the Bangladesh Awami League government, Dhaka—Washington relations suffered heavily over conducting credible elections, human rights, political domination, doctoral policy, etc. The law-and-order situation was shaky during the period of the interim government. The situation has marked an improvement during the political government. But the investment scenario particularly in FDI has not been impressive. Bangladesh needs massive investment, particularly in the energy sector. But the USA investment scenario in the last three years has not been impressive, according  to the data of Bangladesh Bank and the National Board of Revenue. The USA should invest heavily in Bangladesh, particularly in the energy sector, said some top businessmenThe winter is coming and the amount of load-shedding will drop. but the tenure of the winter and spring is too long rather short. The summer is rather eight months…..USA is pushing Bangladesh to reduce trade gap by exporting its exports to Bangladesh. ……The Russian-Ukraine war, the USA—Israel imposed war on Iran and the latest Houthi militia’ several strikes on Saudi Arabia have increased energy prices globally and a sense of insecurity. The Bangladesh government spent several billion dollars in energy subsidies during the last several months putting a burden on the state exchequer. Houthi fighters have launched a series of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government in Aden, while the fighting intensifies around the city of Taiz, according to Aljazeera   .In late 2026, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the Iran-backed Houthi militia entered a period of intense and deadly military escalation, tied closely to the broader 2026 regional war involving Iran.Cross-Border Missile & Drone Wars: In late October 2026, the Houthis launched massive waves of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles deep into Saudi territory. The Saudi-led coalition intercepted numerous threats over major metropolitan areas, including the capital city of Riyadh, Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, and Khamis Mushait, according to Aljazeera   Meanwhile, according to the latest Bangladesh Bank data,  the USA has not been in the top 20 list of FDI during FY 23-25 periods.. Major country-wise (Top) FDI inflows (Net) arranged in descending order of magnitude were:  Netherlands: USD 453.65 million or 26.90%, United Kingdom (UK): USD 300.32 million or 17.81%,  China People’s Republic(P.R): USD 274.17 million or 16.26%, Korea, Republic of: USD 215.97 million or12.81%, Singapore: USD 160.81 million or 9.54%, India: USD 105.81 million or 6.27%, Hong Kong: SAR  of China: USD 85.75 million or 5.08%, Malaysia: USD 82.29 million or 4.88%, Japan: USD 56.00 million  or 3.32%, Sri Lanka: USD 49.09 million or 2.91% and accounted most of the contribution of total FDI  inflows (Net).While talking to this correspondent, a top official of the energy ministry said that ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, is likely to invest in exploring gas in open deepwater offshore blocks and some onshore blocks using the required two- and three-dimensional seismic surveys.The company plans to implement the proposal, including production sharing contracts (PSC) negotiation and well exploration, in phases.In 2026, Exxon Mobil reorganized its corporate structure by creating a new publicly traded parent company in Texas, ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation. It became the parent of Exxon Mobil Corporation, which remained incorporated in New Jersey and became a wholly owned subsidiary. The company said the change was in keeping with its longstanding presence in Texas and would provide greater certainty under the state’s corporate laws. ExxonMobil also said the holding company structure would provide greater organizational flexibility, including allowing some assets and contracts to remain with the New Jersey corporation. The reorganization didn’t change the company’s headquarters, operations, management, employees, assets, or liabilities.ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the company was formed in 1999, with the merger of Exxon and Mobil.Meanwhile,  Bangladesh has been ramping up its purchases of goods from the United States since the two nations inked a trade deal in February, but exports to the North American nation have yet to see a meaningful boost, Nikkei reports.Although the trade deal has not come into force yet, Bangladesh has signed purchasing agreements worth billions of dollars with the US since the deal was struck, including the purchase of Boeing aircraft as well as liquefied natural gas and grains.The increase in purchases has led to a 77% year-on-year surge in US exports to Bangladesh in the February-July period, hitting $2.3 billion, according to National Board of Revenue data.On the flipside, however, Bangladesh recorded just a 6.25% increase in exports to the US in the same period.In fact, exports of readymade garments (RMG) to the US – Bangladesh's single largest RMG destination -- actually fell 7.55% year-on-year in the February-July period, according to the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA).The sharp rise in U.S. exports has been driven largely by commodities Bangladesh needs to import regardless of the trade agreement.Bangladesh Bank data cited by Nikkei show that mineral fuels, cotton, oil seeds, grains and related products accounted for about 69% of the country's $1.9 billion in imports from the US between January and June.Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir told the outlet that increased purchases of wheat, edible oil, LNG, cotton and similar products were not necessarily linked to the trade agreement.Instead, he reasoned that these were essential commodities Bangladesh had to import from one source or another.The purchases have also expanded beyond commodities.Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a supplementary agreement with Boeing on September 23 for 11 additional aircraft at an undisclosed price, taking Bangladesh's total Boeing orders this year to 25 aircraft.The national flag carrier had ordered 14 aircraft for $3.7 billion in April, with deliveries scheduled between November 2031 and October 2035.Bangladesh has also committed to LNG and agricultural purchases worth $18 billion.Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development, said Bangladesh's main ambition was a 'defensive' desire to avoid harsher tariffs."The [deal] emerged from an unequal negotiation, with Bangladesh negotiating under the threat of steep U.S. tariffs against its largest export market," he told Nikkei Asia……….According to Xinhua: Bangladesh's net foreign direct investment (FDI) in the fiscal year (July 2025-June 2026) fell 15.02 percent to 1.47 billion U.S. dollars, according to the recently published central bank data.The Bangladesh Bank data showed that net FDI was recorded at 1,465 million dollars during the 2025-26 fiscal year, as against 1,724 million dollars in the same period a year earlier.Inadequate basic infrastructure has long been blamed for impeding large FDI inflows into Bangladesh. ■….Meanwhile, the United States has designated 50 countries whose citizens face visa bonds reaching up to 20,000 US Dollars for tourist and business visas, leaving India exempt from the mandate while encompassing South Asian nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, according to a USA report.The State Department released a revised list of nations yesterday whose nationals must post financial bonds upon qualifying for B1/B2 visas. Under this programme, individuals travelling on passports from the specified countries are required to deposit bonds valued at 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 US Dollars with the exact figure fixed by a consular official during the visa interview.Holders of Indian passports remain exempt from this obligation. As detailed by the State Department index, Nepal and Bangladesh have faced the mandate since January 21, whereas Bhutan was incorporated beginning January 1. Additional nations spanning Africa, the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific are similarly featured.Bangladeshis applying for US tourist and business visas may now have to deposit up to $20,000 (about Tk24 lakh) as a refundable bond after the United States permanently adopted its controversial visa bond program, a move expected to make travel significantly more expensive for many applicants.The US State Department announced recently that the program, introduced as a pilot in 2025, had successfully reduced visa overstays and would now become a permanent requirement for applicants from 50 countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.Under the permanent rule, consular officers may require applicants for B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) visas to pay either $10,000 or $20,000 before their visa interview. The earlier $5,000 option available under the pilot program has been withdrawn.The bond is refundable if the visa application is denied or, if approved, the traveller leaves the United States in compliance with visa conditions.The decision marks a significant tightening of US immigration policy for travellers from Bangladesh and dozens of other countries identified by Washington as having comparatively high visa overstay rates.According to the State Department, nearly 45,500 visitors from the 50 listed countries overstayed their visas in 2024.US officials said the bond program had dramatically reduced overstays during its first 10 months. Fewer than 50 travellers covered by the program eventually overstayed their visas, compared with the much higher figures recorded previously.Meanwhile, Bangladesh earned USD 9.05 billion from exports to the US in FY2025-26, marking a roughly 4% year-on-year increase from USD 8.69 billion in FY 2024-25. The US accounted for approximately 19% of Bangladesh’s total export earnings, reinforcing its role as one of the country’s key export destinations. The increase also reflects continued demand for Bangladeshi manufactured products in the US market.Woven garments remained the largest export category, generating USD 5.04 billion or 55.7% of total exports to the US, while knitwear contributed USD 2.70 billion, accounting for 29.9%. Other exports included non-leather footwear at USD 0.39 billion, headgear and caps at USD 0.24 billion, home textiles at USD 0.17 billion, leather products at USD 0.13 billion, and other products at USD 0.38 billion………