BB cancels chief economist Akhtar Hossain’s contract

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has shortened the contractual tenure of its Chief Economist Dr Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, cancelling the remaining period of his contract effective September 10, 2026.
The central bank issued the order on August 11, saying the remaining period of his contractual appointment has been cancelled from September 10.
The order, issued by the Human Resources Department-1, refers to the office order of July 1, 2025, under which Akhtar Hossain was appointed Chief Economist. His two-year contract was originally due to end on June 30, 2027.
This means his tenure will end about nine and a half months before the scheduled end of his contract.
But the order does not say why the BB took the decision. No specific allegation, disciplinary action or other problem with Akhtar Hossain has been mentioned in the order.
Akhtar Hossain had continued to work as Chief Economist until recently. He took part in the BB’s Monetary Policy Committee meetings and was publicly speaking on major economic issues. 
As recently as July 24, he spoke about the difficulties of bringing down inflation through tight monetary policy.
Bangladesh Bank’s website also still lists him as the Chief Economist and an internal member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
The central bank spokesperson and executive director Arief Hossain Khan confirmed the termination. However, he did not disclose any specific reason for ending Akhtar Hossain’s contract.