Odisha-born RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das Named ‘Central Banker of the Year 2020 – Asia Pacific’

Bhubaneswar: Odisha-born Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has been named ‘Central Banker of the Year 2020 – Asia-Pacific’ by The Banker, a London-based international financial affairs publication owned by The Financial Times.

The award is given to central bankers, who have best managed to stimulate growth and stabilise their economy.

The magazine named Das as the 2020 Central Banker in the Asia-Pacific region, and said that the RBI chief had brought in measures to tighten rules around shadow banking and brought Indian banking up to standards through a “restrained approach to governance”.

The publication explained that Das was honored for managing India’s banking sector that has faced a series of challenges such as non-performing loans and fraud.

Repeated economic slumps saw the central bank cut interest rates five times during 2019, and it was open to cutting them again, if necessary, said a statement released by the magazine.
It further said that Das tried to manage banking issues within the financial system, a risky move but one that will reduce dependence on the central bank.

Besides, Jorgovanka Tabakovi, National Bank of Serbia, was adjudged the winner as the Global Central Banker of the Year.

The awards were announced in an editorial of the Banker magazine on January 2.