Economics
Silent role of MFS to keep the economy going
With the advancement of the pandemic, the citizens of Bangladesh are leaning more and more towards adopting Mobile Financial Service (MFS) as their method of money transfer, buying products and services, buying mobile balance and making bill payments.
Navigating the socioeconomic perils of Covid-19 in Bangladesh
Despite the depressing state of major indicators such as negative export-import growth; large revenue deficit; falling private sector investment; rising non-performing loans recorded in the last quarter of 2019
Stimulus for Bangladesh’s export-oriented enterprises
On March 25, 2020, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced, in her address to the nation, that the government would provide an incentive package of Taka 5,000 crore for export-oriented industries.
Financial mobility in an immobile world
The recent outbreak of Covid-19 is an unprecedented global issue, leading many to contemplate difficult questions that are plaguing all of humanity.
COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of our economies
The human dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic reach far beyond the critical health response. All aspects of our future will be affected—economic, social and developmental. Our response must be urgent, coordinated and on a global scale, and should immediately deliver help to those most in need.
Economic threats in the time of corona
What will the impact of Covid-19 be on the Bangladesh economy? Overall, it seems inevitable that the GDP gains that were expected to be realised in the current fiscal year are likely to be wiped out.
COVID-19 and Bangladesh’s macroeconomic challenges
The world economy is now on lockdown because of the global coronavirus pandemic. Governments and their central banks around the world are wasting no time in dealing with the health and economic implications of this crisis.
Implementing SDG 6: Watering the seeds of development
Nothing is more useful than water. Ironically, hardly anything can be obtained in exchange for water.
Linking economies through transportation infrastructure
Economists estimate that over that three-decade timeframe, the [Padma] bridge will reach its full traffic capacity of 75,000 vehicles each day.
Is negative interest rate a recipe for disaster?
Imagine paying interest to save money. A bizarre idea that was once theoretical curiosity is now a stark reality in several economies of the developed world...
Do We Need to Worry?
Labour practices and the right to organise by workers have recently received a lot of attention in Western media, triggered by terrible industry accidents in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Helping farmers in the lean season
In northern rural Bangladesh, the autumn lean season is the most difficult time of year, especially in Rangpur, where close to half of the 15.8 million residents live below the poverty line.
The Treasury Officer and those dark days of March 1971
This is the story of my father who was a civil servant assigned as the treasury officer of Dhaka in 1971.
Reducing cyber risk of banks
Guidelines on Internal Control & Compliance for Banks were issued by the central bank on March 8, 2016, which recommended the commercial banks to take insurance as a risk mitigation measure. Such insurances are not over-the-counter products, and must be customised as per each bank's unique exposures.
Trade in a Time of Protectionism
Today, intra-regional trade accounts for just 5 percent of South Asia's total trade, compared to 25 percent for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This vast untapped potential presents the region with an opportunity for growth that does not rely on the strength of the world economy.
Why Poverty Won’t Go Away
In an email interview, Dr Geof Wood shares with Amitava Kar of The Daily Star why poverty and inequality persist despite all the fuss. Emeritus Professor of International Development at the University of Bath, Dr Wood is an internationally renowned development anthropologist and author of several books and numerous journal articles, with a regional focus on South Asia. On March 9, he presented a seminar titled “The Security of Agency: Towards a Sociology of Poverty” at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). Here is a condensed version of the interview.
How smart solutions to tax reform can help develop infrastructure
Mobilising more resources for government could help improve many public services and goods, including the massive infrastructure needs of the country. But is mobilising more government resources the best way to help Bangladesh?
The (not so) dignified exit of a dignified man
Without detracting from the undeniable fact that as the governor of the BB, the buck stopped with him, it may be fairly said that the 'graceful' exit of Professor Rahman has probably raised more questions than it has resolved.