Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman has been elected as the chairperson of Asian Clearing Union (ACU).
He was elected as the next ACU chairperson in the 44th annual meeting of its board of directors in Dhaka on Saturday, central bank General Manager AFM Asaduzzaman told bdnews24.com.
The governors of the central banks of India, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan, and deputy governor of Sri Lanka were present at the meeting chaired by Rahman at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
He took the charge from Iran’s Governor Valiollah Seif in the meeting.
The ACU was established in 1974 at the initiative of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with the central banks of India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Bhutan, and the Maldives joined the union later.
The bills of exports and imports of these countries are cleared through this union every two months.
According to Rahman, Bangladesh’s imports rose 20.3 percent in 2014 than the previous while exports dropped 11.3 percent. The picture, however, is different for the other ACU countries.
Rahman was awarded ‘Central Banker of the Year 2015’ from the Asia-Pacific region for stimulating growth and stabilising economy. London-based “The Banker”, owned by the Financial Times, announced the award.
He received the ‘GUSI Peace Prize International 2014’ Award for his work in economics, with a focus on welfare of the poor.
He also received the Digital World lifetime achievement award for his ‘technology-friendly practical policies’.
Rahman took charge of the Bangladesh Bank on May 1, 2009 for four years. The government decided to keep him for another term when his first term ended. His second term is scheduled to end on Aug 2, 2016.