Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

South Asia’s eastern subregion, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal, needs to invest an estimated extra $118 billion in road safety over the next decade to halve its road crash fatalities, says a new World Bank report, noting that this will bring $1.2 trillion in economic benefits annually, equivalent to 3.75 percent of regional GDP.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Inci Otker visited San José from February 18 to 24 to discuss recent economic developments, progress with the fiscal reform, and the overall macroeconomic outlook. The mission held fruitful discussions with Central Bank President Rodrigo Cubero, Finance Minister Rodrigo Chaves, members of the Legislative Assembly, other senior government officials, and representatives of the financial and private sectors and think-tanks.

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the 19 euro area national central banks, which together form the Eurosystem, are inviting euro area citizens and organisations to contribute ideas and comments on the way the central bank conducts its monetary policy within the framework set out by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The ECB is launching dedicated web pages to explain the review process, together with an online form which citizens can use to submit proposals and comments in euro area languages.

At Pakistan’s Second Human Capital Summit held in Islamabad, participants highlighted the need to invest in girls’ education and women’s economic empowerment as crucial to Pakistan’s sustained growth, on Febuary 19.

The European Union has approved a trade agreement with Vietnam, disproving skeptics who thought the EU's divorce with Britain and Vietnam human rights concerns would delay the vote.

The off-grid solar industry has grown into a $1.75 billion annual market, providing lighting and other energy services to 420 million users and remains on a solid growth curve, a new World Bank Group and GOGLA report shows.

Malta has enjoyed very rapid economic growth in recent years as the economy rebalanced towards high value-added services. Prudent fiscal policy and timely structural reforms have helped boost employment and build fiscal buffers while promoting social cohesion.

New economic analysis shows that a proposed solution to the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy under negotiation at the OECD would have a significant positive impact on global tax revenues.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Mr. Emil Stavrev, visited Luxembourg during February 3-14 to conduct the 2020 Article IV consultation.