Staff Reporter :
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to disburse the fourth tranche of its ongoing loan programme, amounting to $645 million, by February 10, 2025, according to Chris Papageorgiou, IMF Mission Chief to Bangladesh.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Finance Ministry in Dhaka on Thursday, Papageorgiou confirmed that the IMF Executive Board would review Bangladesh’s compliance with the loan programme conditions during its meeting in February.
An IMF staff team, led by Papageorgiou, has been in Bangladesh since December 3 to discuss economic and financial policies as part of the third review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF), Extended Fund Facility (EFF), and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
During the briefing, Papageorgiou announced that a staff-level agreement had been reached with Bangladeshi authorities on the necessary policies to complete the third review.
“The IMF’s Executive Board will consider completing the review based on the authorities’ implementation of prior actions,” he noted.
He highlighted the government’s commitment to sustaining revenue-based fiscal consolidation to address external financing gaps, tightening monetary policy to curb inflation, fully implementing exchange rate reforms for greater flexibility, strengthening the financial sector to ensure competitiveness, advancing climate initiatives to promote sustainable and inclusive green growth.
The IMF Executive Board is scheduled to convene on February 5, 2025, to evaluate the progress and determine the disbursement of the tranche.
