Opinion
The challenge of measuring inflation
Mr Arif, a lower-middle-class citizen, decided to visit his local market to purchase essential goods for his family. To his dismay, he discovered that the prices of almost all necessities had gone up by a staggering 30 to 50 percent. This sudden spike in prices left Mr Arif perplexed and worried about the increasing burden on his already strained budget.
Is voice technology driving Bangladesh's transition from digital to smart?
In the throes of a digital renaissance, Bangladesh, steered by the government's Digital Bangladesh initiative, has achieved a remarkable technological evolution. The nation has seen an uptick in internet connectivity, digital financial services, e-education, and e-commerce, with an entrepreneur-driven surge.
Are we over-communicating to our customers?
In a world that is exceedingly inundated by messages, it is, perhaps, time for businesses to think about whether we are over-communicating with our customers.
Opinion / Government banks and interventions in credit markets
Credit markets are often affected by market failures, which makes them prone to government interventions. While there are many ways in which governments can intervene in financial markets, a common method is through state-owned banks.
Turning fintech into digital bank
Fintech is a buzz word or a disruption or an innovation in this transforming world. We have always seen such debate among different types of experts or colleagues from financial industries at home and abroad. But we can’t ignore its rapid disruption towards financial inclusion and growth.
Challenges and opportunities ahead of South Asian economies
However, rising interest rates and risks in the banking sector in the United States and Europe have increased uncertainties in South Asia’s outlook, given their significant impact on balance of payments, exchange rates, and financial markets.
Women’s challenges in the age of big data
March, and more precisely March 8th, is a time to raise awareness about the remaining path toward equal opportunities for women and men. This is especially challenging in the current days of infoxication where algorithms on the Internet nudge us to jump the discussion from one topic to another day after day. March 8th has passed, yet many gender challenges remain.
In many countries, taxes and transfers make the poor poorer
Most countries, as they emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, are seeking economic growth from weakened fiscal positions. As health and social spending surged to help workers, families, and businesses cope, the economic shock greatly reduced revenues.
Asia’s easing economic headwinds make way for stronger recovery
The economic headwinds that faced Asia and the Pacific last year have started to fade. Global financial conditions have eased, food and oil prices are down, and China’s economy is rebounding.
One year after Ukraine invasion, food export curbs have subsided, but concerns remain
One year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the surge in global food prices that the war triggered has subsided. But there are still reasons for worry: Prices remain elevated, and new shocks could send them soaring again.
The costs of misreading inflation
It bears remembering that, as recently as the second half of 2021, the Federal Reserve considered that the surge in consumer price inflation would dissipate, with price increases returning to the Fed’s 2 per cent target in 2022. In testimony before Congress, Fed Chair Jerome Powell affixed the now infamous “transitory” moniker to the ongoing price increases, which he ascribed to temporary supply bottlenecks and price declines in the early stages of the pandemic.
Bridging data gaps can help tackle climate crisis
A famous physicist once said: “When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it.”
Grameenphone’s SIM sales ban sends wrong message to the world
Grameenphone recently celebrated its 25 years in Bangladesh. It is a story to be proud of, a story of how telecom technology was made available to people from all walks of life.
How fiscal restraint can help fight inflation
Government support was vital to help people and firms survive pandemic lockdowns and support the economic recovery. But where inflation is high and persistent, across-the-board fiscal support is not warranted. Most governments have already dialed back pandemic support.
Workers are heading back overseas: here’s how govts should respond
Deployment of migrant workers from Asia is slowly getting back on track after plummeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic during the first quarter of 2020. Some countries are recording departures of migrant workers exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Fiscal policy can help people rebound from cost of living crisis
Governments confront difficult trade-offs amid sharp increases in food and energy prices. Policymakers must protect low-income families from large real income losses and ensure their access to food and energy.
Correcting course to accelerate poverty reduction
On End Poverty Day this year, it’s hard to find cause for celebration. The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a historic setback, pushing 70 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 – the largest one-year increase in three decades.
Asia sails into headwinds from rate hikes, war, and China slowdown
Asia’s strong economic rebound early this year is losing momentum, with a weaker-than-expected second quarter. We have cut growth forecasts for Asia and the Pacific to 4 per cent this year and 4.3 per cent next year, which are well below the 5.5 per cent average over the last two decades. Despite this, Asia remains a relative bright spot in an increasingly dimming global economy.