Atiur Rahman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Atiur Rahman
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আতিউর রহমান
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Rahman in 2014
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| Governor of Bangladesh Bank | |
| In office 1 May 2009 – 15 March 2016 |
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| President | |
| Prime Minister | Sheikh Hasina |
| Preceded by | Salahuddin Ahmed |
| Succeeded by | Fazle Kabir |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 August 1951 Jamalpur, East Bengal, Pakistan (Now, Mymensingh, Bangladesh) |
| Spouse | Shahana Rahman |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka SOAS, University of London |
| Profession | Economist |
| Awards | World No Tobacco Day Award (2012) Bangla Academy Literary Award (2016) |
Atiur Rahman (Bengali: আতিউর রহমান; born 3 August 1951) is a Bangladeshi economist, author, and banker. He was the 10th Governor of Bangladesh Bank, which is the main bank of Bangladesh. People have called him "the banker of the poor" because he helped improve Bangladesh's economy. Rahman made many changes in banking. These changes helped the country's foreign exchange reserves (money kept in foreign currencies) grow a lot. He also brought in new technology to make banking easier and faster. During his time, he helped create a national payment system, started mobile banking, and made it easier to transfer money between banks using computers. He resigned in March 2016 after a major cyber attack on the Bangladesh Bank's account.
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Early Life and Education
Atiur Rahman was born on 13 December 1951, in a village in the Jamalpur District. His father was a farmer who did not own land and had no schooling. Rahman started school but had to stop after third grade because his family needed money.
He was able to go back to school later. He took the final exam for sixth grade and then got into Mirzapur Cadet College in seventh grade. A teacher named Foyez Moulavi helped raise money so Rahman could attend. The college also let him study for free because his family didn't have much money. He did very well in college, passing his SSC and HSC exams with high marks.
Rahman then studied economics at the University of Dhaka. He received a special scholarship to study in London, England. In 1977, he earned his Ph.D. from SOAS, University of London. His Ph.D. paper was later published as a book called Peasants and Classes.
Career Highlights
In 1975, Rahman worked for the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, which promotes tourism. In 1994, he started a group called Unnayan Shamannay. This group helps with development in the country. He also worked at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies for almost 28 years. He retired from there in 2006. He was also a director at Sonali Bank, which is one of the biggest banks in Bangladesh.
In 2001, the government made him the head of the board of directors for Janata Bank, another large bank. In 2006, he became a professor at the University of Dhaka. He taught in the Department of Development Studies.
Rahman also worked with Mohammed Yunus on a special group that aimed to reduce poverty. He was involved with many groups that focused on social and cultural issues. Rahman spent a lot of time studying poverty. He wanted to find out why people were poor and how to help them. He worked especially with people living in river areas.
Leading the Central Bank
On 29 April 2009, Atiur Rahman became the 10th governor of Bangladesh Bank. This is the central bank of Bangladesh. He started his job on 3 May 2009 and was asked to continue until July 2016.
As governor, he started many programs to help the economy grow. These included loans for women who wanted to start businesses. He also helped landless farmers get loans. He created special programs for "green finance," which means supporting environmentally friendly projects. Rahman worked hard to bring new technology to the banking world. He created the National Payment Switch, which made it easier for banks to connect. He also introduced automated check clearing, which uses computers to process checks quickly. He helped start mobile banking and set up systems for electronic money transfers. During his time, Bangladesh's foreign money reserves grew four times bigger! In March 2016, Rahman stepped down from his role. This happened after a major cyber attack on the Bangladesh Bank. He said he would resign if it helped his country. Two days later, he returned to teaching at the University of Dhaka. He is now known as the 'Bangabandhu Professor' at the university.
After being governor, he went back to the Department of Development Studies at Dhaka University. In 2019, the university gave him the special title of 'Bangabandhu Chair'. He also leads the Unnayan Shamannay group.
Awards and Recognition
Atiur Rahman has received many awards for his work:
- Central Banker of the Year (2015) from the Asia-Pacific region. This award was given by The Banker magazine. They recognized him for helping farmers and small businesses get loans.
- Central Bank Governor (2015), Asia by The Emerging Markets Newspaper.
- The British Parliament praised Rahman on 8 March 2015 for his work in helping women.
- He was named one of the Movers and Shakers by The Banker magazine. He is the only person from Bangladesh to receive this title.
- GUSI Peace Prize International (2014) for his work in economics that helped poor people.
- World No Tobacco Day Award (2012) from the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque (2011)
- Atish Dipankar Gold Medal (2000)
- Chandrabati Gold Medal (2008)
- Nepal's Prime Minister thanked Rahman in 2015 for helping earthquake victims in Nepal.
- Dharitri Bangladesh National Award (2015)
- Bangla Academy Literary Award (2016)
- Bangabandhu Chair of the University of Dhaka (2019)
Personal Life
Atiur Rahman is married to Shahana Rahman. She is a professor who teaches about children's health at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. They have three daughters.
See Also
- List of Bangladeshi people
