[🇧🇩] Monitoring Bangladesh's Economy

[Saif]

Bangladesh’s Forex reserve soars to $22.65b

Bangladesh’s gross foreign exchange reserves, calculated under IMF guidelines, soared to $22.65 billion on Wednesday amid fresh disbursements from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and strong remittance inflows...

www.newagebd.net

Bangladesh’s Forex reserve soars to $22.65b
Staff Correspondent 25 June, 2025, 17:21

A file photo shows a man counting US dollar notes in the capital Dhaka. | New Age photo New age fashion

Bangladesh’s gross foreign exchange reserves, calculated under IMF guidelines, soared to $22.65 billion on Wednesday amid fresh disbursements from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and strong remittance inflows.

According to Bangladesh Bank data, reserves increased to the current level from $20.86 billion on June 15.

BB officials said that IMF had approved over $1.3 billion in fourth and fifth instalments of its $4.7 billion loan to Bangladesh. The World Bank also approved $350 million in funds.

These funds are expected to be added to the reserves in phases in the coming days.

Moreover, high remittance inflow and export earnings contributed most to the surge in reserve balance.

According to the Bangladesh Bank, the country received $27.5 billion in remittances from July 2024 to May 2025 — 28.7 per cent up from $21.37 billion during the same period in FY24.

Besides, export earnings grew by 8.6 per cent in July-May in the 2024-25 financial year, reaching $36.56 billion, up from $33.67 billion in the previous year.

In addition, according to conventional valuation by the Bangladesh Bank, the foreign exchange reserve increased to $27.67 billion on Wednesday from $26.14 billion on June 15.

Additionally, the BB repaid $3.3 billion, or nearly 90 per cent, of foreign overdue payments between August 5, 2024, and December 30, 2024, following a political change.

The BB follows the IMF’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, 6th edition (BPM6), for calculating gross and net international reserves.

Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi taka has continued to weaken against the US dollar, reaching Tk 123 per dollar due to a dollar shortage and pressure on banks to settle import payments.

Bangladesh’s trade deficit, although still large, also showed slight improvement in July-April.

The gap narrowed to $18.22 billion, compared with $18.7 billion a year earlier.

However, import payments rose to $54.8 billion in July-April—an increase of 4.6 per cent from $52.37 billion during the same period in the previous year.​

 

[Saif]

Political clarity boosting economic confidence

Bangladesh’s economic confidence has improved following the announcement of a firm election timeline, ending political uncertainty that had been weighing on investor sentiment, according to Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

www.thedailystar.net

Political clarity boosting economic confidence
Salehuddin says

Bangladesh's economic confidence has improved following the announcement of a firm election timeline, ending political uncertainty that had been weighing on investor sentiment, according to Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

"A clear timeline for elections has removed the uncertainty in politics," Ahmed told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase yesterday. "Politics is important for any economy. But nothing has happened in recent months that would disrupt our economic momentum," he said.

Ahmed said global stakeholders, including the World Bank, had raised questions in recent months about whether elections would be held on time. "Even in the World Bank meetings, I was asked when elections would take place," he said.

But with the timeline now set, he said, "There's a general sense of satisfaction."

The finance adviser also pointed to recent approvals of budget support from major development partners, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, as evidence that confidence is returning.

"They are broadly satisfied with the reforms we are undertaking," he said.

However, he acknowledged that concerns remain regarding overall governance, the rule of law and investor confidence -- areas the government is working to improve.

Ahmed said the government was taking steps to restore trust among businesses and would soon hold a press briefing to clarify the real state of the economy.

"There are often reports based on incomplete or inaccurate information. We will address that."

The purchase committee yesterday approved procurement deals worth Tk 11,649 crore, including contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum, fertiliser and wheat.

Among the contracts, Vitol Asia won a deal to supply one cargo of liquefied natural gas at $13.52 per MMBtu for the July 28-29 delivery. The purchase proposal was placed by Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company.

Separately, Dubai-based Cereal Crops Trading will supply 50,000 tonnes of wheat at $275 per tonne to the Directorate General of Food.

Ahmed said Bangladesh had avoided cost spikes in global markets despite tensions in the Middle East and fears of supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We acted in time. As a result, in many cases, we saved money," he said, citing energy imports that came in $5-$10 cheaper per unit and led to savings of as much as Tk 80 crore.

A favourable wheat deal also saved the government an additional Tk 20 crore, he said.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh's forex reserves exceed $30 billion

Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserves climbed to $30.51 billion on Thursday, reflecting a renewed strength in the country's external sector. But, officials said, under the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6), the reserve is c

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Bangladesh's forex reserves exceed $30 billion

Published :
Jun 26, 2025 22:21
Updated :
Jun 26, 2025 22:21

Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserves climbed to $30.51 billion on Thursday, reflecting a renewed strength in the country's external sector.

But, officials said, under the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6), the reserve is calculated at $25.51 billion.

The usable portion of this, according to the same method, stands at $19.80 billion, said the Bangladesh Bank officials.

The boost in reserves follows a notable rise in remittance inflows through formal channels, according to UNB.

This surge in remittances has brought much-needed relief to the foreign exchange market, easing pressure on the reserve position.

However, the central bank has not sold any dollars from its reserves over the past 10 months. The increase is also supported by the inflow of over $5 billion in loans for budgetary support, debt servicing, and reforms in the banking and revenue sectors.

Besides, the IMF is expected to release a $900 million loan, taking into account the country's repayment capacity.

A further $1.5 billion in loans from the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Japan and the OPEC Fund is anticipated to be added to the reserves by the end of this month.

The officials expect this inflow to push the total reserves to around $32 billion by month-end.​