What brought us here may not take us there
Thanks to HSBC Bangladesh, I was privy to a presentation on Asia economic outlook with a special focus on Bangladesh.
11h ago
Where is the economy heading?
This is exactly the question I came across from the investment community in the US, India, and Singapore in the last one month or so. They asked where the exchange rate may settle down and the local currency borrowing rate may go. If they invest in Bangladesh, will they be able to take back their return on investments timely and easily?
6d ago
Expectations for a good budget
How do you define a good budget? Should it be all-inclusive? Should it be too large? Or should it only focus on the possible future of the nation and allocate more to education and healthcare?
3w ago
A tribute to Mirza Azizul Islam
Mirza Aziz, a strong figure in Bangladesh’s bureaucracy, has made significant contributions to the nation’s economic development
4w ago
Is Bangladesh's economy showing signs of recovery?
As Bangladesh concluded 2023, it faced a series of macroeconomic challenges, including soaring inflation, dwindling foreign currency reserves, a weakened taka against the US dollar, slowing exports, lower-than-expected remittance inflows, and a troubled banking sector.
1m ago
Will bank mergers help?
The most recent bank merger proposal in Bangladesh reflects a pressing need for action due to Bangladesh Bank's determination to instill essential discipline and oversight in the financial sector, which is plagued by widespread irregularities.
1m ago
Insolvency and bankruptcy code of India: guide for Bangladesh
The establishment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in India was critically acclaimed as a success story since it led to impressive changes in the Indian banking system and set a standard for debt recovery, credit culture, and the entire financial system.
1m ago
A tribute to Professor Rehman Sobhan
Just a few days ago, we celebrated the 89th birthday of our country’s noted economist and public policy champion Professor Rehman Sobhan. Prof Sobhan is better known as one of the authors of the two-nation theory, which ultimately helped us form the philosophical base of an independent Banglades
1m ago
March 2, 2024
Financing large projects in Bangladesh
Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture in its developmental journey, with infrastructure development being a cornerstone of its economic growth agenda.
February 20, 2024
Banking innovation key to prosperity
Banking, the lifeblood of any economy, faces unique challenges in Bangladesh. A high percentage of non-performing loans (NPLS), inadequate capital, and an overreliance on bank financing are just a few of the many obstacles impeding advancement.
February 18, 2024
How can we curb loan defaults?
Bangladesh Bank has announced a new plan to reduce non-performing loans (NPL) to less than 8 percent by June 2026. The central bank aims to bring down the NPL of state-owned commercial banks to 10 percent and private banks below 5 percent. As we know, many such initiatives have been introduced earlier and they failed to show desired results.
February 11, 2024
Merging the banks for better financial governance
Reforming the Bangladesh banking sector is long overdue considering the ongoing struggles, such as liquidity issues, poor resource management, capital crises, and underperforming loans and their potential ripple effect on the economy. Forced bank mergers have been the talk of the town in recent times. But we have seen most of the "known to be good banks" quite confused and concerned about the possible measures.
February 4, 2024
Startup ecosystem: challenges and agenda to scale up
The world's economic landscape is changing, shifting influence from the West to the East. In this transformation, Bangladesh, marked by a tech-savvy youth population is on the path of emerging as a promising hub for startups.
January 28, 2024
Capital market – looking forward
In 2023, Bangladesh's capital market faced a challenging environment characterised by internal constraints and external difficulties. It proved to be a tumultuous year for the stock business marked by unprecedented lows in average turnover and foreign investments, not seen since the collapse in 2010.
January 21, 2024
Can monetary policy help?
Post-pandemic, Bangladesh recovered reasonably quickly and was seeing encouraging signs that the economy was well poised to return to the pre-Covid growth path. However, a combination of global inflationary pressure and supply disruptions owing to the Russia-Ukraine War, a rising US dollar, increasing international inflation rates, and the emergence of recessionary fears in advanced economies coupled with a few not-so-thoughtful domestic policy measures created a hostile economic environment for us.
January 14, 2024
Driving long-pending reform agenda
For years now, a plethora of reforms have been suggested by relevant stakeholders. As reactionary measures in a lot of instances, the government has explored some of these reforms and is taking steps in the right direction. However, considering where the economy stands right now and comparing with relevant countries, Bangladesh has significant ground to cover.
January 8, 2024
Digitalising the public sector
Bangladesh, with its emerging technology landscape, is an attractive playground for tech giants looking to invest, shape and benefit from this market. The government, with its Vision 2021 and SMART Bangladesh 2041 strategies, has pushed for a rapid digital transformation especially focusing on the public sector.
December 31, 2023
Tribute to a real entrepreneur
The recent passing of Mr Fazlur Rahman, the founder of City Group, has left a profound void in the hearts of many who are mourning the loss of an iconic entrepreneur and industrialist.
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