The national economy of Bangladesh is facing one of its toughest tests in decades. The provisional GDP growth for this fiscal year is only 3.97 percent, the lowest in 34 years apart from the pandemic period. It is true that a sluggish growth rate can have different interpretations when compared with previous years, but few can deny the adverse state of many economic indicators even after more than a year of the interim government.

In just under three months, the Bangladesh Bank has purchased nearly $1.9 billion from local banks this fiscal year, including $265 million in a single day and $129.5 million through an auction last week. For many people, this seems puzzling. Prices are still rising, families are cutting down on essentials, and yet the central bank is spending heavily to buy dollars instead of allowing the Taka to strengthen and make imports cheaper.

The news on Priya’s phone screen felt like a ghost. It was a report of numbers: poverty at nearly 28 percent, jobless growth. These figures seemed as remote from her life in the Korail slum as the glass towers of Gulshan. She had once believed in the “development miracle” of Bangladesh, leaving her village in the hope of joining it. Now it seemed that the miracle was a party for a select few, and she was left outside, looking in.

Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress over recent decades, driven by exports, remittances and a dynamic private sector. Yet in a world of growing volatility from geopolitical shifts, energy price shocks and currency swings, resilience alone is no longer enough. Safeguarding our economic stability must begin with how we manage foreign exchange reserves.

When the numbers turn red, you feel it before you see it. The office grows quieter. Conversations stop when you walk by.

One of my friends has been working with a government agency for the last three years on a project, bringing more than a decade of hard-earned experience to the table, as well as the rare distinction of having actually managed the kind of project they were struggling with.

Business must serve people: this was the principle Samson H Chowdhury lived by. He saw no conflict between business and ethics, only the possibility of using both as a force for good.

For decades, Bangladesh's capital market has been trapped in a policy mistake of its own making: regulators, not the market, have set the prices of initial public offerings (IPOs).

When President Obama revoked Bangladesh’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) status in 2013, the direct economic shock was mild.

Rebranding is often necessary at some point in a brand’s lifecycle, not as a sign of failure but as a deliberate strategy to remain relevant. Even well-known names such as Nokia, Burberry and Dunkin’ have altered their identities to keep pace with shifting consumer demands. Rebranding responds to changes in consumer behaviour, technology, culture and competition. The difficulty is to evolve without sacrificing the essential qualities that won customers in the first place.

The separation of policy and operational functions is a good step. It reflects international best practices

In trade, as in life, one decision from far away can unravel years of careful effort.

The current high level of inflation has already placed significant financial pressure on the common people, and increasing taxes in this context will create even more strain

When asked why he robbed banks, the famous American bank robber, Willie Sutton, famously quipped “because that’s where the money is.” It seems that many of our leading business leaders have adopted a similar mindset over the past fifteen years. Regrettably for our nation, they have become alarmingly adept at robbing banks

In the last one week, Bangladesh has been in the grip of student unrest over the quota system, rendering discussions over its merits and demerits a household phenomenon. Steering away from political discussions, this assessment attempts to evaluate the socio-economic impact of the quota system on our government's vision of a Smart Bangladesh

Let’s begin with the central question to gauge what more this MPS could have done to increase the potency of monetary policy in restoring macro-financial stability. 

The finance minister on Thursday placed the budget for fiscal year 2024-25, which is 4.6 percent bigger than the ongoing one. The increase is much lower than the average inflation seen in the last few years, reflecting the monetary constraints the government is facing as well as some of the realities of the crisis which commands a certain extent of belt-tightening

The temptation to prioritise quick profits over long-term sustainability and ethics is predominant.

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, the former finance minister of Bangladesh, and more importantly, one of the architects of Bangladesh's economic development, left an undeniable legacy upon his passing, more than two years ago.

Pleasing your boss can sometimes feel like the game of Tom & Jerry, where you are Jerry trying desperately to avoid being Tom’s next kill.