Finance minister says data-driven policy key amid global economic uncertainty

businessnews24bd.com

Uncertainty has become the “new normal” in the global economy, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said, stressing the need for sound, data-driven policymaking.

Speaking at the closing of ECONTHON 2026 on Saturday, he stressed the importance of realistic solutions and the effective use of data in policymaking.

“Amid the challenges of slowing global growth, high borrowing costs and trade protectionism, accurate and data-driven policymaking is the key to the economy,” he said.

“Realistic solutions and the proper use of data are extremely important in policymaking. At the Ministry of Finance, we constantly face such unexpected situations where we have to make sound decisions based on limited information,” he said.

Pointing to the current economic landscape, Khosru said macroeconomic stability and modernising the tax system were needed to ease pressure on people’s purchasing power from fuel prices, foreign-exchange pressures, climate change and inflation.

“Ensuring transparency and effective use of every taka of taxpayers’ money is our priority.”

Addressing students, he said: “No nation can progress without skills, and without integrity and humanity, those skills cannot guide society in the right direction. Economics is not merely about passing examinations; it must be understood, and we must continue serving the country with policy and integrity.”