Economist and former central bank governor Salehuddin Ahmed stated that Bangladesh currently lacks well-functioning institutions. At a book launch event in Dhaka, he said that 80% of the country’s banking resources are misallocated and that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates $35 billion will be required to restructure the sector. He added that both legal integrity and procedural systems have deteriorated. Mirza Fakhrul Islam, Secretary General of the BNP, also spoke at the event, claiming that corruption has increased fivefold. Both speakers called for urgent democratic reforms and structural changes in political power.