Bangladesh Bank is scheduled to announce its monetary policy stance for the second half of FY26 on Monday (February 9, 2026), amid persistent inflationary pressures and weakening momentum in the real sector. Advisers to the interim government have been pressing for a reduction in the policy rate, c
Bangladesh’s interim government was born not at the ballot box but in the streets. The July 2024 uprising swept away a government that many citizens viewed as unaccountable and abusive, creating a dangerous vacuum that needed to be filled quickly to prevent drift or disorder. Professor Muhamm
The European Union (EU) and India is signing free trade agreement that both sides have hailed as 'the mother of all deals'. The agreement came together after over nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations and during a geo-economic crisis triggered by United States President Donald Trump's tra
Exchange rates, the price of one currency in terms another currency, are crucial in international finance for influencing trade balance, investment flows and inflation. Factors influencing exchange rates include interest rates, economic activity, inflation and market confidence. For economies like
This note responds to Helal Uddin Ahmed's piece "Pitfalls of Trumpian tariffs" (P4, FE, January 30, 2026) by examining the analytical assumptions underlying the critique rather than the policy itself. The critique of Trumpian tariffs rests on a familiar and largely accurate observation: tariffs ra
The primary objective of education is making individuals cultured while culture refers to a composite of values that include a commitment to human welfare, a normative sense of the good, and spirit of collective. Welfare must be ensured for all; however, priority should be given to those whose labo
Cancer rarely announces its arrival. It enters silently and resides in our bodies for a considerable period before turning ordinary lives upside down. It is no longer a rare disease but a growing public health challenge, affecting millions of people worldwide, including Bangladesh. Early detection
Having worked in the VAT management system for nearly three decades since 1995, I have had the opportunity to observe numerous policy initiatives and administrative reforms. Despite these efforts, Bangladesh continues to have one of the lowest tax-GDP ratios in the world, a reality that clearly fai
Domestic violence in Bangladesh is routinely framed as a private tragedy, an unfortunate but inevitable aspect of family life. Yet the latest report, 'Violence Against Women Survey 2024' by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), confronts us with a far more disturbing reality. According to the
Illicit fund flows pose a significant risk to the integrity of the banking system and present persistent challenges for regulators operating under risk-based supervisory frameworks. In recent years, Bangladesh has formally moved towards implementing risk-based supervision, reflecting a broader shif
Bangladesh has a troubled relationship with corruption. Since independence, it has been an enduring feature of public life-shaping institutions, distorting economic outcomes, and steadily eroding public trust. While corruption has long been widespread, systematic evidence from both domestic and int
Something unusual happened at the World Economic Forum (WEF) this year which is reverberating through the corridors of power in Europe and elsewhere. The banker-turned politician Mark Carney, currently the prime minister of Canada, had the audacity to say that the emperor was naked. Everyone
Aimed at pulling up the cost of foreign products, protecting domestic industries, and raising revenue, tariffs are taxes or duties imposed by a government on imported commodities. These are used as an important tool in inter-governmental economic policy-making, as they influence foreign trade, affe
