Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus will lead Bangladesh's interim government

Muhammad Yunus, also known as the "banker of the poor", will lead Bangladesh on an interim basis until the next elections.

Muhammad Yunus will lead the new interim government of Bangladesh, after former Prime Minister Hasina resigned and left the country following large anti-government protests.The announcement came late on August 6 from the president's press officer Mohammed Shahabuddin, after hours of discussion with the leaders of the student protests, the military, civil society and leaders.The figure of Muhammad Yunus was proposed above all by the students, and he will lead the country for ninety days, to reach the new elections.

Who is Muhammad Yunus

Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and banker, known for his extraordinary contribution to the fight against poverty through microfinance.In 2006, Yunus and his Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize, to promote bottom-up economic and social development thanks to microcredit.This loan system, aimed mainly at poorer groups and women, requires no guarantees and is based on trust and community solidarity.

Yunus was born on June 28, 1940 in Chittagong, Bangladesh, then part of East Bengal, British India.In 1983 he founded the Grameen Bank, challenging traditional banking industry conventions that deemed the poor unreliable as borrowers.With the Grameen Bank, Yunus demonstrated that even the poorest can be excellent banking customers and that small loans can have a significant impact on their lives, helping them develop businesses, improve their living conditions and contribute to the economic growth of their communities.

His work has inspired a global movement in the field of microfinance, with the Grameen Bank model replicated in numerous countries.Yunus has written several books, including “Banker to the poor:micro-lending and the battle against world poverty”, in which he talks about his experience and his philosophy on microcredit and its impact on poverty.

In addition to microcredit, Yunus is involved in numerous other social and entrepreneurial initiatives and has received numerous other international awards for his work, including the Presidential medal of freedom and the Congressional gold medal in the United States, the two highest US honors given to civilian personalities.

Muhammad Yunus' legacy goes beyond microfinance.It has demonstrated that it is possible to combine social and economic objectives, thus influencing public policies and international development programmes.His work has had a lasting impact on the fight against poverty and the economic empowerment of marginalized communities, making him an important figure in the field of development economics and inclusive finance.