Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan H Mansur has received a ‘C’ grade in Global Finance magazine’s 2025 ranking of central bank governors, reflecting a mixed assessment of his performance during a turbulent phase for the country’s economy.
The magazine’s Central Banker Report Card 2025 evaluated governors from 100 major economies based on inflation control, economic growth, currency stability and policy credibility between July 2024 and June 2025. Ratings ranged from ‘A+’ for excellent performance to ‘F’ for outright failure.
Sri Lanka’s Nandalal Weerasinghe earned an ‘A’, while Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Hong topped the list with an ‘A+’. Former Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder had received a ‘D’ grade for FY2023.
Mansur, a former IMF economist, took office in August 2024 amid political turmoil following former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s flight from the country amid corruption and rights abuse allegations. He inherited a fragile banking sector, depleted foreign exchange reserves, high inflation and weak investor confidence.
The magazine acknowledged Mansur’s early efforts to restore financial stability. He raised the overnight repo rate from 8.5% to 10% by October 2024 to contain inflation, which declined from 10.5% to 8.55% by July 2025. He also resisted pressure to cut rates despite sluggish growth, as GDP expanded only 3.9% in FY2025 — far below the decade-long average of over 6%.
Mansur launched a three-year reform programme in coordination with the IMF, focusing on cleaning up bad loans, strengthening governance, and modernising bankruptcy laws. However, progress has been slow, with enforcement gaps and structural weaknesses continuing to weigh on the financial system.
Analysts said the ‘C’ grade reflected limited visible outcomes so far, lingering inflationary pressure, weak private sector credit growth, and a volatile exchange rate.
While policy direction has been broadly sound, implementation has lagged and public confidence in banks remains low.
Global Finance noted that Bangladesh Bank ‘reasonably met its mandate’ during the first half of the review period but still faces a long path to restoring full economic stability.
Bankers said Mansur’s cautious but technically sound policies suggest international observers expect stronger results and faster reform execution before Bangladesh can regain its previous growth momentum.
