The pioneer of microcredit, the founder of the "bank for the poor", Grameen Bank (GB), and a Nobel Prize winner for his work on poverty alleviation has now been called a "blood-sucker" and his life-long work described as mere entrapment of the poor towards greater indeb...

By Katherine Esty "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." - Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince (1532) I first met Muhammad Yun...

By Alex Counts Microfinance has grown from its origins as a pilot project that sought to demonstrate that the world's poor could benefit from access to the financial services we take for granted. It has since become a major part of the financial sector and national pov...

By Bill Abrams You may have read recently about Muhammad Yunus and a movement by politicians in Bangladesh to remove him from his position as Managing Director of Grameen Bank, which he founded. The Supreme Court in Bangladesh is due to hear his case this week. About...

By Rehman Sobhan The measure of a leader is the ability to transform a perceived adversary into an ally. The measure of a statesman is a leader who can join hands with an adversary in building a better tomorrow for the generations to come. The Bangladesh Bank's notice...

By Shahid Khandker and Hassan Zaman In the 1970s, three out of four Bangladeshis lived in poverty and the country was considered a test case for development. Rapid population growth, frequent natural disasters, and low economic growth throughout the 1980s suggested t...

I am deeply saddened by the unprecedented earthquake and Tsunami in the Northeast of Japan which has brought severe destruction and suffering to the property and general public. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope all the families associated are safe and well a...

By Abdul Hannan Chowdhury In the rapidly changing business world, many concepts emerge, evolve and decline at pace faster than their own evolution. This has led to the development of innumerable business jargons whose rate of awareness and acceptance varies from coun...

By Abdul Hannan Chowdhury In 1974, the US secretary of state, Dr. Henry Kissinger, labeled Bangladesh as a "basket case." The image of Bangladesh, in post-independence era was degrading due to many social causes. However, a country in phase of early transition is expec...

December 12, 2010, Press Conferencein Grameen Banks' Head Office, Mirpur - 2, Dhaka - 1216 Professor Muhammad Yunus's Opening Remarks Welcome. To all members of the media, I extend my good wishes to you. In the past few days, that which has been published in signific...