Ahsan H. Mansur
Ahsan H. Mansur | |
|---|---|
আহসান এইচ মনসুর | |
| 13th Governor of Bangladesh Bank | |
| Assumed office 14 August 2024 | |
| President | Mohammed Shahabuddin |
| Chief adviser | Muhammad Yunus |
| Preceded by | Abdur Rouf Talukder |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1950/1951 (age 73–74) East Pakistan |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Economist |
Ahsan H. Mansur is a Bangladeshi economist and the 13th governor of Bangladesh Bank.[1][2] He was the director of Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh.[3][4] He was also the chairman of BRAC Bank[5] and an independent director of Walton.[6]
Early life
[edit]Mansur completed his bachelor's in economics from the University of Dhaka in 1974.[7] He became a lecturer at the University of Dhaka in 1976.[7] He completed his master's in economics from McMaster University in 1977.[7] He did his PhD from the University of Western Ontario in 1982.[7]
Career
[edit]Mansur joined the International Monetary Fund in 1981.[7] He worked at the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund from 1983 to 1989.[7] From 1991 to 1995, Mansur served in the Policy Development and Review Department and the Middle Eastern Department of the International Monetary Fund.[7]
Mansur was appointed a finance advisor to the Minister of Finance Wahidul Haq in 1989 and served till 1991.[7] From 1996 to 2007, he served in the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund.[7] From 1994 to 2007, he served as Senior Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Sudan, and Yemen.[7]
Mansur joined the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh as executive director.[7][8] Mansur was appointed chairman of BRAC Bank on 27 August 2019 replacing Sir Fazle Hasan Abed after he retired; it is unknown if he retains shares in the bank[9] He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Policy Insights.[10]
Mansur had questioned the GDP figures of the government of Bangladesh which did not match with macroeconomic indicators in 2019 while predicting a slowdown of the economy.[11] He described the need for endurance for the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.[12] In September 2020, he said the economy was recovering.[13] He recommended the usage of monetary policy to control inflation.[14] He has spoken critically about S. Alam Group buying banks using loans from their existing banks and accused the conglomerate of having "siphoned off" $10 billion from the banking system.[15][16] The conglomerate's founder sent a notice of dispute to the interim government alleging the government's actions have violated its investors' rights under international treaties and threatened international arbitration if no agreement between the parties is reached.[15] Mansur has called for reforms in the financial sector to reduce loan defaults.[17] In 2023, he said the economic shock of Bangladesh was also the result of government inaction and not entirely based on external factors.[18]
Mansur was appointed Governor of the Bank of Bangladesh on 14 August 2024 by Chief Adviser and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, pledging to tackle supposed money laundering in the country.[19][20] To allow Mansur, aged 72, to be appointed for the position, the Financial Institutions Division (FID) of the Finance Ministry amended the law which had limited the age of an appointee to 67. The Interim Government and President Mohammed Shahabuddin approved of the change.[21] Since his appointment, he has accused the former government of allowing $17 billion to be embezzled.[22]
In October 2024, United States District Court for the District of Columbia judge Carl J Nichols issued an arrest warrant for Mansur whilst he was attending an IMF forum in Washington, D.C.[23] He had been called to testify regarding $31.9 million in arbitration awarded against Bangladesh, but the warrant was eventually stayed.[24]
Since his appointment, Mansur has faced criticism for his “direct and unfiltered public statements” about Bangladesh’s banking industry.[25] Mansur's comments have repeatedly cast doubt on the survival of some financial institutions and have been described as “counterproductive” by National Bank Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo.
In June 2025, reports revealed that Mansur faced several allegations of improper conduct including a “conflict of interest and regulatory overreach” in connection with his handling of actions taken against mobile financial service provider Nagad, where concerns about regulatory neutrality and procurement protocols were raised by those in Bangladesh’s fintech sector.[26]
In response to allegations that he used his position to purchase a Tk45 crore property in Dubai for his daughter Mehreen Sarah Mansur, Mansur insisted he had no involvement and that the property was purchased before he became Governor.[27] Mansur claimed his name, which appears on the property documents, was in relation to him being the father of Mehreen and not the purchase of the property.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ahsan H Mansur to be BB governor". The Business Standard. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Dr Ahsan H Mansur to become new BB governor". The Financial Express. 13 August 2024.
- ^ Mansur, Ahsan H. (21 November 2022). "Reforms in the financial sector necessary to get rid of default loans". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Ahsan H. Mansur". International Growth Centre. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Ahsan Mansur new Brac Bank chairperson". The Daily Star. 27 August 2019.
- ^ walton. "Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC". waltonplc.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur – Policy Research Institute". Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Human resource dev lagging behind, say economists". New Age. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Ahsan Mansur new Brac Bank chairperson". The Daily Star. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Editorial Team – Policy Insights". Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Economic indicators contradict GDP growth figure: economist". The Daily Star. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Rahman, Md Fazlur (1 January 2021). "Economy bruised, not broken". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Economy on a recovery track". The Business Standard. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Use monetary policy to contain demand, reduce inflation". The Daily Star. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Client Challenge". www.ft.com. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Mortoza, Golam (6 December 2022). "Islami Bank's loan scams were not unknown to policymakers". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Mansur, Ahsan H. (29 November 2022). "Financial sector reforms necessary to get rid of default loans". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Economic shocks not entirely external". The Daily Star. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Bangladesh Bank". www.bb.org.bd. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Paul (15 August 2024). "NEWS: New Bangladesh central bank governor Ahsan H Mansur pledges to stop rampant bank embezzlement". AML Intelligence. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Former IMF economist Ahsan H Mansur new BB governor". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Pollard, Jim (10 December 2024). "Bangladesh's Hasina Accused of $17bn Plunder And Much Worse". Asia Financial. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Salehuddin, Mansur face surprise US judicial order". The Daily Star. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "US court stays warrants for Salehuddin, Ahsan". The Daily Star. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Hasan, Md Mehedi (26 February 2025). "Bangladesh Bank governor's unfiltered remarks: A cause for concern?". The Daily Star. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ "Bangladesh Bank Governor Faces Conflict Of Interest Allegations In Nagad-Bangladesh Bank Row". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ Sun, Daily (June 2025). "No link to daughter's property: Governor Mansur responds to Joy's allegation". daily-sun. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ "'I have no relation with this': Ahsan Mansur debunks Joy's allegations over daughter's Dubai flat". The Business Standard. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
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