Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have climbed to $26.32 billion, calculated according to the IMF’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6), marking the highest level since the Bangladesh Bank adopted this reporting method in June 2023.
Data released on 29 June by Bangladesh Bank indicates the country’s gross reserves stand at $31.31 billion, the largest figure recorded in the past 28 months.
In June 2023, reserves measured by the BPM6 standard were $24.75 billion, with gross reserves at $31.20 billion. Bangladesh previously reached a historic peak in August 2021, when reserves surpassed $48 billion for the first time.
However, since that record, reserves gradually declined, hitting a low of $20.48 billion at the end of July 2023-just prior to the fall of the Awami League government. Since then, reserves have been on a steady upward trajectory.
Experts credit the recent rise primarily to stringent anti-money laundering measures, which have bolstered remittance inflows. Notably,
remittances are set to surpass the $30 billion mark for the first time, with two days remaining in the current fiscal year.
Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the reserve growth, attributing it to recent disbursements from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
According to central bank sources, a $350 million tranche from the World Bank on 24 June initially lifted reserves to $22.32 billion. Since then, additional disbursements exceeding $1.3 billion from the IMF and $800 million from the AIIB have further strengthened reserves. Contributions from the ADB have also supported the increase.
Remittance inflows have experienced a year-on-year growth of 7.1 per cent, reaching $2.54 billion during the first 28 days of June, compared with $2.37 billion over the same period last year.
Latest Bangladesh Bank figures, released on Sunday, show expatriates have sent $30 billion in remittances during the fiscal year from July 2024 to 28 June 2025-up from $23.75 billion over the same period in the previous fiscal year.
