Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, professor, and Nobel laureate economist. Since 8 August 2024, he has been serving as the Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.
Major Achievements and Honors
- Nobel Peace Prize: He jointly received this award in 2006 for pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance through Grameen Bank.
- Highest U.S. Honors: He received the 'Presidential Medal of Freedom' in 2009 and the 'Congressional Gold Medal' in 2010. He is one of only seven individuals globally to have received the Nobel Peace Prize along with these two top U.S. honors.
- Others: His name was included in the list of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims in 2024 and in Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2025.
Academic and International Roles
- He was a professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chittagong.
- He served as the Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland from 2012 to 2018.
- He is a founding board member of Grameen America and Grameen Foundation, and served on the board of directors of the United Nations Foundation from 1998 to 2021.
- In 2022, he became involved with the Global Esports Federation to work on the development of that sector.
Political and Governmental Responsibilities
- Past: He was an adviser for the Ministries of Primary and Mass Education, Science and Technology, and Environment and Forests in the 1996 caretaker government.
- Present: Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 and the dissolution of Parliament on 6 August, the President nominated him as the head of the interim government in response to the demands of the students.
- After being acquitted in a labor law violation case (which was known to be politically motivated), he took the oath as the Chief Adviser on 8 August.
