A farmer in the Niger whose fields have dried up due to the heat. A father in Palau who does not know whether his house will still be standing when his children are grown up - or whether the rising sea levels will swallow up his village. Mayors in Spain, Germany or Lithuania who have to find a way
Bangladesh has beaten the initial pessimism about viability and prospect of the country with its resource limitations to feed a large population and the lack of energy and natural resources for developing industries. Fifty two years back, it was a war-ravaged economy facing the dire challenges of r
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh has been one of the fastest-growing economies in South Asia in recent decades, with an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita growth of above 5 per cent in the last decade. Moreover, the per capita income has also been steadily increasing and now exc
Islamic finance has been making significant strides in Southeast Asia, riding on the back of a sizable Muslim population and a burgeoning middle class. With Malaysia and Indonesia leading the charge, the region holds substantial potential for the expansion of Islamic finance. In this write up, we d
In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, Bangladesh's Non-Banking Financial Institutions (NBFIs) are facing unprecedented challenges that could have far-reaching consequences for the sector. The recently enacted Finance Companies Act 2023 is poised to reshape the dynamics of this vital sector, bu
Bank financing to business firms occupies the largest portion of total lending portfolio in Bangladesh. Non-Banking Financial Institutions (NBFIs) come next. The analysis of financing viability by financial institution at times seems to be ambiguous due to lack of industry-specific information in t
Hamas (Harakah al-Mukawamah al-Islamiya), an Arabic phrase meaning Islamic Resistance Movement, on October 7, 2023, launched a surprise attack on Israel by surging through Israel’s heavily fortified separation fence and crossing into the country from Gaza. In the wake of the attack, Hamas lea
Discrimination in employment and in workplaces under any labeling is a degradation of human spirits and capabilities to pursue activities for self-actualisations and societal cause and effect. Discriminatory environment results in economic retardation -- a situation in which an economy progresses w
In the last month, October 2023 to be specific, Claudia Goldin, the American Professor of Economics at Harvard University, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for her comprehensive research on women’s history in the labour market. This is especially remarkable
In recent years, the landscape of the energy sector in Bangladesh has witnessed significant changes. The rising demand for natural gas, coupled with the difficulties in gas exploration and production, has resulted in increasing reliance on import of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Notably, the price o
A significant opportunity to capitalise solar power through both thermal and photovoltaic methods prevails in Bangladesh as per the Draft National Solar Energy Roadmap, with an average daily solar radiation of about 4.5 kWh/m2. Despite the immense potential, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have so
Gaza has changed the political equation in Palestine. Moreover, the repercussions of this devastating war are likely to alter the political equation in the entire Middle East and to re-centre Palestine as the world's most urgent political crisis for years to come. Since the establishment of Israel
The Ukraine War, ongoing since February 2022, initially led the world to anticipate a decline in energy supply from Russia due to disruptions in the supply chain caused by the war. Surprisingly, however, the situation unveiled a different reality. Despite the conflict, the export of Russian crude o
