The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many vulnerabilities in health care systems across South Asian countries, including Bangladesh. As we respond to and learn from this crisis, it presents an...

World Bank South Asia Vice President Hartwig Schafer reflects on his three decades at the World Bank and the lessons learned that make a difference.

The World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, IDA has been a reliable partner in South Asia for more than six decades and contributed to a sharp decline in poverty in the region. Yet, for...

Engaging communities to monitor public procurement is challenging, and Bangladesh is no exception. Then how do you motivate rural women to monitor public procurement work and defy traditional...

MSMEs are crucial to Bangladesh’s financial and economic development. Close to 99 percent of non-farm enterprises in the country are MSMEs. Reexamining outdated policies and lifting institutional...

A Bangladeshi woman participates in a local community council meeting. Credit: World Bank  Sitting cross-legged under a mango tree’s shade in the middle of a village in Rajshahi district,...

South Asian countries’ exports are only one-third of what they should be, had they mirrored the experience of economies with similar characteristics. Without further integration into global...

Learning new skills for better jobs in Bangladesh: Meet Kamrul Nahar Omi [[tweetable]]The Bangladesh garments industry is poised to grow into a $50 billion industry by 2021 and for this, two...

South Asian countries are making progress in clearing the way for women to get jobs and creating a safer work environment for them. Yet, too many women across South Asia are left out of the...

South Asia is set to remain relatively insulated from some of the rising uncertainties that are looming large on the global economic horizon. The region will retain its top spot as the world’s...