Preventing buildup of unsustainable debt

Global growth is accelerating. But before we break out the champagne, we should acknowledge the long-term risks to sustained expansion posed by rising private and public debt.Market analysts view the uptick in private lending in most emerging and some developed...

Liquidity crisis: How effective government, BB interventions?

The current liquidity crisis that has afflicted the economy has generated much debates and discussions. The government and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) were supposed to take necessary initiatives and they did take some policy measures. The measures are: (a) reverting...

Food systems at a crossroads in South Asia

According to Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the food systems in South Asia are at a crossroads. And climate change is the most pressing issue the region is facing with implications for food security of already vulnerable populations....

A number that can reflect financial etiquette

Imagine a simple number that can show your attitude towards debt. More importantly, it is an un-erasable mark that reflects bad behaviour in the past and compels good behaviour in the future with a lifelong financial identity. While it is...

Cyber security-- major concern for financial institutions

Fears of major cyber attacks on banks have been rising since hackers successfully stole nearly $100 million from the Bangladesh Bank, the central bank, in 2016. Shortly after that incident, Russian central bank disclosed that hackers stole more than $31...

Commercial courts will be set up to attract FDI

The Law Commission-Bangladesh has taken a move to establish commercial courts aiming to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) for resolving disputes on trade, commerce and banking promptly.This was disclosed at a meeting between high-ups of Bangladesh Bank (BB) and Law...

Universal education: Mustering political will to act

On the surface, mass illiteracy seems like an evil that should be easy to eradicate. Achieving that goal requires neither a technological breakthrough nor a scientific discovery. With funding for good teachers and schools, we can provide an education for...

Dynamics of poverty in Bangladesh

The general discourse on poverty in Bangladesh hardly harps on the classification of poverty in line with time dimension. Poverty can both be persistent or short-lived, adducible to structural or temporary factors respectively. Persistent or long-term poverty implies a state...

BJMC seeks allocation of Tk 5.0b in every budget

The Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) has sought an allocation of Tk 5.0 billion in every national budget for an indefinite period against the losses it makes due to "high wages of workers".It cited that the state-run jute mills pay...

Unfinished work to blame for gridlock

Unfinished work of the Dhaka-Chattogram four-lane project is partly responsible for the nagging traffic congestion on the country's prime highway, sources said.Though the project was officially announced closed in June 2017, they said, the construction of Feni overpass along with...

Govt's gross borrowing from banking system soars

The government's gross borrowing from the banking system jumped suddenly Sunday to finance budget deficit partly for the current fiscal year (FY), officials said.Bangladesh government borrowed Tk 13 billion on the day against previously fixed target worth Tk 2.0 billion...

Malaysia can push for a healthy China rebalance

Malaysia has a chance to rebalance its relationship with China. Newly elected Mahathir Mohamad has accused his predecessor of selling out to Beijing, and vows to review investment deals. The country's strategic position and long-standing ties with the People's Republic...

Problems farmers facing in harvesting crops

Now is the peak harvest season in the country. The good news is that most paddy growing areas are expecting a bumper crop. This is despite the fact that crops in fields in a few areas have been afflicted by...

To cut or not to cut

It is quite apparent that the government is in a dilemma over yield rates of national savings tools. The conflicting statements coming from none other than Finance Minister AMA Muhith from time to time on the issue do highlight this...

Addressing energy trilemma

The concerns over irreversible damage of anthropogenic climate change have changed the dynamics of energy use globally and forced countries to reconsider the prevailing growth strategies and make a transition towards a less carbon intensive and sustainable energy. The UN...

Headway in designing piers of Padma Bridge

The design problem with 14 piers of the country's longest bridge under construction has been resolved reigniting hopes about quickening the work.Officials said the project office already started working on three of the piers. The work on the remaining 11...

Rohingya crisis: OIC needs to play a proactive role

Established in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on September 12, 1969 with fifty-seven member-states, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an inter-governmental organisation, having its Secretariat in Jeddah. Theoretically, it is a "collective voice of the Muslim world with...

French President's internationalism

French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the United States last month was a study in contrasts. Despite the friendly dynamic, Macron's agenda and rhetoric were almost diametrically opposed to US President Donald Trump's. But Macron's leadership is subject to...

Koreans seek peace and Trump wants credit

UPDATE: President Donald Trump announced on Thursday he would meet North Korean Leader Kim Jung-Un in Singapore on June 12, 2018 At last good sense has prevailed on North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and US President Trump. The war...

Guidelines for investment abroad ready

Bangladeshi entrepreneurs may be allowed to make equity investment aboard up to 25 per cent of their net annual income from exports, officials said.However, they will have to take prior permission from the government for the purpose, according to the...

Stocks tumble as large-caps keep falling

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) fell below the 5,600- mark last week that ended on Thursday as most of the investors continued to be on the selling spree amid poor quarterly earnings declarations.Analysts said the ongoing...

A trek to Tagore’s days and the spiritual home

"Taal gach ek paye dariye / On one leg stands the palm tree.Sob gach chariye / overshooting all trees.Uki mare aakashe /peeping over the sky." "Amader choto nodi chole bake bakeBoishakh maashe tar hatu jol thake.Paar hoe jay goru, paar...

Extraordinary power of the living world

Why do birds migrate to warmer countries in the winter? The common answer would be to protect themselves from severe cold. Until now that was the standard knowledge man had had of the feathery friends' migratory behavior. Now is the...

Aftermath of the Doha Round

For all practical purposes the world has moved away from the stated objective of multilateral trade system that was agreed during the Doha Round of the World Trade Organisation. It looks like the unified move by the World Trade Organization...

Marketing of crops: Do farmers lose due to early sale?

Even a decade ago, subsistence agriculture was the order of the day in rural Bangladesh. The villages were self-sufficient; people exchanged goods and services within the village mainly on barter basis. However, with the development of infrastructure and storage facilities,...

Determinants of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship has been acknowledged the world over as a key engine of socio-economic growth. Put simply, means, motive and opportunities are needed if entrepreneurship is to flourish and get a foothold in a society. In a world full of uncertainties,...

Giving NTMs adequate space in budget

The country's private sector, the ultimate driving force of the national economy, is yet to prioritise Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) in its agenda of actions. Over the years, several steps have been taken to keep the NTMs high on the agenda....

BB scraps licences of 402 money changers since ’97

More than 400 money changers have got the axe from the central bank since 1997 for breaching the relevant rules and regulations.The Bangladesh Bank (BB) cancelled the operating licences of 402 money changers (MCs) so far, officials said.The BB had...

NBR to drop ‘country of origin’ rules

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to fix the minimum customs value of products on the basis of their nature and quality instead of the existing 'country of origin', officials said.The board took the decision to make the...

Misdirected benefits?

The government's car loan scheme for its officials holding the rank and status of deputy secretary and above has backfired. The objective behind starting the scheme was to cut the government's transportation cost and, at the same time, create an...