BoB3 Courtesy: The Strategist
1 June 2023

Food, Energy & Finance Connectivity in the Bay of Bengal

Despite its natural advantages, the Bay of Bengal region lags economically, in part due to insufficient connectivity between the member nations. Improving financial connectivity between them is the first step to easing movement of goods, services and people. Greater financial collaboration also can help the region mitigate the impact of ongoing geopolitical upheavals that have caused food and energy prices to rise.

BRICS-Summit-2018 Courtesy: Asia Times
25 May 2023

The paradox of BRICS

After many early achievements, BRICS is now in gridlock, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, India-China border tensions, and the Ukraine conflict. Despite its apparent diplomatic bankruptcy, 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are eagerly waiting in line to join the grouping.

pakistan economy Courtesy: Reuters
24 May 2023

South Asian Currencies in Crisis

India’s South Asian neighbours have all seen sharp currency devaluations since early 2022. These are a result of maintaining artificially strong exchange rates, made possible by remittances from migrant workers. However, by postponing the inevitable devaluations, these states have made their economic crises much worse.

dhaka tribune Courtesy: Dhaka Tribune
18 May 2023

Dhaka on the Move

Dhaka recently hosted the Indian Ocean Conference 2023, a multi-country event featuring speakers and participants from the Indian Ocean countries. In recent years, Bangladesh has gone from a ‘basket-case’ to a case study in progress, and across Dhaka are signs of a city undergoing dramatic change.

india SL Courtesy: Business World
18 May 2023

India and Sri Lanka Beyond the IMF

The Sri Lankan economy is showing signs of stabilizing after experiencing the worst contraction in its history in 2022. Decisive policies by President Ranil Wickremasinghe, timely Indian aid, and an IMF Programme have laid the groundwork for a return to growth. India and Sri Lanka must now shift from an aid relationship to one which deepens bilateral trade and investment flows.

swarajya sco Courtesy: Swarajya
10 May 2023

Steering the SCO

India, as chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, hosted the foreign ministers’ meet in Goa last week. What would have been an important and expanding regional grouping has been complicated by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the increased influence of China and an obstructionist Pakistan. Still, India has played its role with an eye on the long term.

rupee Courtesy: Amit Bhandari
27 April 2023

Towards multi-currency trade

The dominance of the U.S. dollar in global trade and its status as a fiat currency means it is unlikely to be replaced in the near future. However, the repeated and continued use of sanctions has created the need for a multi-currency trading regime. India must now prepare alternative payment systems and promote the use of the Indian rupee in global trade.