Higher inflation, macroeconomic volatility and geopolitical conflict are the top three threats for the business sector in Bangladesh for the next one year, according to the PwC's global CEO survey. 

Chief executive officers in Bangladesh feel that they will be most exposed to the three threats in the next 12 months, PwC said in a press release on the outcome of the survey titled "26th Annual Global CEO Survey 2023". 

All three issues are potent enough to compound and reinforce each other, they said. 

For instance, the recent geopolitical uncertainties have increased fuel costs in Bangladesh, which in turn increased the cost of electricity while rising inflation hiked the prices of raw materials. 

Collectively, these issues are impacting the production of export-focused manufacturing factories, thereby increasing the risk of depleting foreign reserves and increasing macroeconomic volatility. 

In fact, the picture does not change much for the CEOs' mid-term outlook towards exposure to threats, suggesting a prolonged impact of the three issues, according to the survey.  

As a part of its survey, PwC polled 4,410 CEOs across 105 countries and territories, including a considerable number of CEOs from Bangladesh.

When it comes to the question on medium to long-term threats, Bangladeshi CEOs have highlighted the increasing exposure of their businesses to climate change in the next five years.

Most of the CEOs of Bangladesh feel that it's crucial for them to reinvent their businesses to become future-ready. 

They also face disconcerting near-term challenges, starting with the local economy, which, nearly 69 per cent think, will see a declining growth during the year ahead.