Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das, who hails from Odisha, has been named the Central Banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific 2020, by the Banker magazine, a unit of the Financial Times.
The award is given to the central bankers who have best managed to stimulate growth and stabilise their economy.
The magazine said Das was honoured for managing India’s banking sector that has faced a series of challenges such as nonperforming loans and fraud. Repeated economic slumps saw the RBI cut interest rates five times during 2019 and it was open to cutting them again if necessary, said the magazine. It further said Das tried to manage banking issues within the financial system, a risky move but one that would reduce dependence on the central bank.
Jorgovanka Tabakovi of the National Bank of Serbia was adjudged the winner as the Global Central Banker of the Year.