Opinion
The challenge of measuring inflation
Mr Arif, a lower-middle-class citizen, decided to visit his local market to purchase essential goods for his family. To his dismay, he discovered that the prices of almost all necessities had gone up by a staggering 30 to 50 percent. This sudden spike in prices left Mr Arif perplexed and worried about the increasing burden on his already strained budget.
Is voice technology driving Bangladesh's transition from digital to smart?
In the throes of a digital renaissance, Bangladesh, steered by the government's Digital Bangladesh initiative, has achieved a remarkable technological evolution. The nation has seen an uptick in internet connectivity, digital financial services, e-education, and e-commerce, with an entrepreneur-driven surge.
Are we over-communicating to our customers?
In a world that is exceedingly inundated by messages, it is, perhaps, time for businesses to think about whether we are over-communicating with our customers.
Opinion / Government banks and interventions in credit markets
Credit markets are often affected by market failures, which makes them prone to government interventions. While there are many ways in which governments can intervene in financial markets, a common method is through state-owned banks.
Turning fintech into digital bank
Fintech is a buzz word or a disruption or an innovation in this transforming world. We have always seen such debate among different types of experts or colleagues from financial industries at home and abroad. But we can’t ignore its rapid disruption towards financial inclusion and growth.
Challenges and opportunities ahead of South Asian economies
However, rising interest rates and risks in the banking sector in the United States and Europe have increased uncertainties in South Asia’s outlook, given their significant impact on balance of payments, exchange rates, and financial markets.
Women’s challenges in the age of big data
March, and more precisely March 8th, is a time to raise awareness about the remaining path toward equal opportunities for women and men. This is especially challenging in the current days of infoxication where algorithms on the Internet nudge us to jump the discussion from one topic to another day after day. March 8th has passed, yet many gender challenges remain.
In many countries, taxes and transfers make the poor poorer
Most countries, as they emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, are seeking economic growth from weakened fiscal positions. As health and social spending surged to help workers, families, and businesses cope, the economic shock greatly reduced revenues.
Sizzling Cities: Planning for urban heat resilience in South Asia
South Asia is bracing for yet another hot year. Pre-monsoon temperature records were shattered again in 2023 by the hottest February recorded in India since 1901, along with the hottest day in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 58 years in April.
Will US bank turmoil spread to Asia?
The recent bank turmoil in the US has awakened ghosts of past financial crises. While the likelihood of a fully-fledged crisis seems limited, it cannot be ruled out. Policymakers in the region must act now to shield their economies from possible negative spillovers.
We must build food system resilience before the next crisis
In February 2022, news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated headlines around the world.
Factories or call centres? Asia charts its development path
Asia’s industries, primarily manufacturing, fueled phenomenal economic growth and poverty reduction in recent decades. But today many countries are looking to the service sector as an alternative.
Could ChatGPT be a game changer for international development?
Large language model artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, Bard and others, has great potential in the world of international development. But – at least for now – it also has serious limitations.
Banks’ physical footprint and financial technology adoption
The financial industry has undergone several changes in recent years: the emergence of new technologies, the entry of fintechs, and the transition from a physical branch-based business model to an increasing reliance on digital services. These trends can foster competition and the democratisation of financial services.
Biofuel policies and the current food crisis
Policies to boost biofuel production and use—crop subsidies, mandates, and other measures—came under intense scrutiny during the food price spikes of 2007/08, 2010/11, and 2012/13. As prices of maize, grains, oilseeds, and other feedstocks rose in those crises—more than doubling in some cases—critics pointed to their increasing use in biofuel production as a major factor behind high global food prices.
How to tackle soaring public debt
Public debt soared to a record during the pandemic, topping global gross domestic product. Now, with government debt still elevated, the rise in interest rates and the strong US dollar is adding to interest costs, in turn weighing on growth and fueling financial stability risks.
Fiscal policy can help tame inflation and protect the most vulnerable
High inflation can impose serious and lasting costs on the economy and people. But the distributive effects of inflation—the way it transfers money from some individuals to others—are complex.
How Asia can ease scarring from lower investment, employment and productivity
The pandemic, coupled with trade disruptions and Russia’s war on Ukraine, caused lasting harm to Asia-Pacific economies, damaging growth, productivity, and investment.