Bangladesh Bank has cancelled the remaining tenure of its chief economist, Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, ending his contract roughly ten months before it was due to expire.

The central bank’s Human Resources Department-1 issued a notification saying the cancellation takes effect from September 10, 2026, according to The Daily Star. The notice did not give a reason for ending the contract early.

Hossain was appointed chief economist on a two year contractual basis on July 1 last year, with his term originally set to run until June 30, 2027. His removal leaves roughly ten months of that contract unused.

As chief economist, Hossain advised the central bank’s governor and board of directors on macroeconomic issues, monetary policy, and the stability of the banking sector, a role considered central to how Bangladesh Bank analyses the economy and shapes financial sector policy.

The Financial Express and The Business Standard also reported the cancellation this week, both citing the same effective date and confirming that no explanation accompanied the central bank’s notice.

The move comes at a sensitive moment for Bangladesh’s banking sector. Depositors from five recently merged banks staged a protest outside a Bangladesh Bank office in Chattogram this week, demanding the central bank withdraw a haircut applied to their deposits during the merger process, according to The Business Standard.

Bangladesh Bank has not named a replacement chief economist or said when a successor might be appointed. The central bank has faced scrutiny over its handling of monetary policy and bank restructuring in recent months, though officials have not publicly linked Hossain’s departure to any specific policy dispute.

Hossain’s exit adds another leadership change to a central bank that has already been managing bank mergers, deposit disputes, and questions over monetary policy direction through much of the year, and it leaves a key advisory post empty at a time when the institution is under close watch.