Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain today (17 January) called for an ethical reset in the country’s financial governance to move forward from the widespread money laundering, bank fraud and accounting irregularities that occurred during the previous government’s tenure.
Speaking as the chief guest at the SAFA International Conference 2026 in Dhaka, organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), he said, “We all are aware that for 15 years a huge amount of money had been taken from our country. Much of it was done in what I would say bank robbery in broad daylight. But a significant part was also the result of manipulation of accounting with so many top accountants of the country before me.”
He said professionals across sectors share responsibility for preventing a repeat of such practices.
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“I would urge your collaboration so that this does not happen in future and we can come back to a different path,” he said, calling for greater integrity and accountability in financial oversight.
The conference, themed “Next Generation Profession: Converging Ethical AI and Sustainability Reporting,” focused on how the accounting profession is changing amid rapid technological developments and rising expectations for transparency.
Touhid Hossain said Bangladesh’s long-term economic progress and deeper integration into the global economy would depend on professionals who are technically skilled but also ethically grounded and socially responsible.
He said ethical governance has become even more urgent as artificial intelligence and sustainability reporting gain wider roles in financial management and regulatory scrutiny.
He noted that technology without ethical checks risks replicating past failures in more complex forms.
The event brought together senior policymakers, regulators and international experts. Special Guests included AHM Ahsan, chairperson of the Bangladesh Competition Commission, and Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan, chairman of the Financial Reporting Council.
Delegates from several South Asian countries attended the conference, which featured technical sessions on ethical AI, sustainability reporting and future-focused professional practices.
Source: https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/foreign-adviser-calls-ethical-reset-financial-management-fix-past-irregularities-1336366
