New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) Several challenges faced by the Bangladesh economy from 2025, such as the rising non-performing loans in the financial sector, are likely to spill into the new year, according to local media reports.The Bangladesh Bank had limited room to act, as the government relied heavily on high-cost borrowing from the banking sector. At the same time, debt defaults continued to weaken banks’ ability to extend fresh credit, the Dhaka-based The Daily Star reported.High interest rates …
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Islamabad, Jan 4 (IANS) Rapid increase in population in Pakistan has been an alarming concern as the South Asian country continues to deal with resource scarcity, mounting climate vulnerabilities, gender inequality, poverty, and illiteracy, a report stated. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Pakistan has become the fifth most populous nation in the world. In about 80 years, the population in Pakistan has increased from 33.7 million to 255 million, according to a report in T…
New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Pakistan stares at several economic challenges in 2026 amid continuing low economic growth, recurring militant attacks and potential disasters related to climate change, according to a new report.A report in Nikkei Asia by Farhan Bokhari said that the country has avoided default on its foreign debt payments — owing to a timely intervention by the International Monetary Fund in 2024 with a $7 billion loan through 2027 — but faces major challenges this year.The country’…
New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) In view of the increased dependence of Dhaka on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China, it is no wonder that Bangladesh is slipping into a debt trap the way Sri Lanka had, a new report has warned, saying that Dhaka is now paying the price of accepting Chinese loans, but refusing to learn.Bangladesh has gone the same way as its South Asian neighbours like Sri Lanka, according to a report in Asian News Post.Following unsustainable borrowings from China, in 2022, Colomb…
New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The widely quoted Corruption Perceptions Index, prepared annually by Transparency International, has ranked Pakistan 135 out of 180 countries for 2024, according to an article in the Pakistan media.There is a need to see the change in ranking of Pakistan over the years, as the incidence of corruption has been highlighted in a recent report by the IMF, the article in the financial newspaper Business Recorder said.In 2015, Pakistan was placed at 117 out of 168 countries, eq…
New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad’s warning that Pakistan’s growth model is “unsustainable” for a population of 250 million comes at a time when business cycles in the country shorten, and each recovery is weaker than the one before, a report said on Saturday. The report from European Times said that the comment came at a time when Pakistan is suffocating under soaring poverty, historic unemployment, and a prolonged phase of stabilisation that has crushed ho…
New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) Pakistan has become chronically dependent on bailouts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it has been plunging from one fiscal crisis into another over the years. It is, however, ironic that the country been getting these loans despite Islamabad’s failure to meet the IMF conditions to revive the economy.Pakistan is now headed for its 25th IMF loan with the latest $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), stretched over 37 months, and the accompanying $1.4 bill…
New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) The process for base revision of macro-economic indicators — CPI, IIP and GDP — has reached at an advanced stage, and the new series of GDP with base year 2022-23 will be released on February 27, 2026, according to the government.The new series of CPI with base year 2024 is slated to be released on February 12 while the new IIP series with base year 2022-23 will be released on May 28.Discussion papers have been placed in public domain and workshops held for taking fe…