When the authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina was challenged in the summer of 2024, the largest demographic that was at the forefront against it was the youth of the country. The frustration that gave rise to their heroic stand against tyranny has definite links with the lacklustre economy of
Bangladesh is currently experiencing a wave of crucial financial sector reforms, moving its banking system closer to global standards. The central bank, the Bangladesh Bank (BB), is spearheading a massive overhaul focussing on fixing bad loans, professionalising management, and preparing for the di
Bangladesh today stands at a demographic crossroads. With a substantial youth population, it holds a promise of a new generation that can lead the country into an era of creativity, innovation, and social progress. And yet, that promise remains only partly fulfilled. Thousands of young graduates ar
It is indeed an affront to Bangladesh that hundreds of its citizens, deceived by false promises of jobs abroad, end up on battlefields in Ukraine, get trapped in brothels in India, suffer sexual abuse in Middle-East countries or meet a tragic death in the Mediterranean. Such incidents, occurring wi
Whether it is fire, or storm, earthquake or flood, what the magnitude of devastation it would cause depends both on pre-calamity preparedness and post-calamity reaction of the population stricken by any disaster. The destruction in question is not just about deaths, injuries and loss of property.&n
As the world faces accelerating climate shocks, Bangladesh remains one of the most vulnerable countries to their impacts. From rising sea levels and cyclones to saltwater intrusion and erratic rainfall, climate change threatens lives, livelihoods, and economic growth across the nation. Yet amid t
The arrest of a journalist and a cell phone trader at midnight, Wednesday and small hours of the same night from their residences by the Detective Branch (DB) police brings back the ugly memory of similar infringements during the immediate past regime. The raid is both a violation of human rights a
A generous state recipe feeding funds to liquidity-strapped banks now dries up as the regulator balances inflation control and forex stability while bankers wonder where to invest amid private-sector credit crunch. Amid such a double bind, a spree in commercial banks borrowing from the central b
As shrinking concessional capital exacerbates a long-standing credibility gap, Bangladesh must pair a robust, enforced Impact Measurement & Management (IMM) architecture with a strategic government role as a first-loss catalyst to unlock significant private commercial investment. For decades, th
The world experiences millions of earthquakes each year. But not many can be felt because of their low intensity or small magnitude. The magnitude measures the energy released by an earthquake and is generally based on the well-known Richter scale. Intensity, on the other hand, measures the extent
As a Relationship Manager — or a banker in the making — one inevitably delves into credit risk, its identifiers, and ways to mitigate it early in their career. With rising non-performing loans creating a significant stress on financial capital and the broader economy, assessing credit
2024 was the hottest on record globally. In Asia and the Pacific, Bangladesh was the worst-hit country, with about 33 million people affected by lower crop yields that destabilised food systems, along with extensive school closures and many cases of heatstroke and related diseases. Children, the el
