Business Report :
Bangladesh Bank purchased another $202 million from 13 commercial banks in an auction on Tuesday with the paying between Tk 122.27 and Tk 122.29 per dollar, reacting to the sharp drop in the US dollar rate.
Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the latest transaction.
The cut-off rate was fixed at Tk122.29.
Earlier, the central bank has purchased a total of $188 million through two auctions las week.On Sunday, it had bought $54 million at Tk 122.25 per dollar and on last Thursday, it bought $134 million at Tk 122.29 per dollar.
With the latest amount, the central bank has, so far, bought US dollars amounting to $2.51 billion from commercial banks operating in the country since July 13 last under the prevailing free-floating exchange rate regime.
BB, which sold more than $25 billion from its foreign exchange reserves between FY21 and FY25 to help cover imports of fuel, fertiliser, and food, has begun purchasing the greenback since the start of this fiscal year, as supply has increased owing to higher exports and remittances.
To tackle the sharp fall, the banking regulator on July 13 bought $171 million from 18 commercial banks through an auction – the first such move under the floating rate system.
Such purchases were intended to bolster the country’s forex reserves, which came under pressure due mainly to rising import payments and global economic headwinds, according to sources.
Usually, the central bank go for intervention to prevent the downfall in the value of Bangladeshi Taka in exchange of US dollar, and also bolster the foreign currency reserve.
By buying dollars from commercial banks, the central bank is boosting the country’s foreign currency reserves. According to Bangladesh Bank data, Bangladesh’s gross foreign exchange reserves stood at $31.21 billion as of December 1, 2025. Calculated under the International Monetary Fund’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6), reserves stood at $26.51 billion.
Bankers and economists say the dollar is falling primarily because supply exceeds demand. Currently, there is lower payment pressure, and remittance inflows are high, so banks have more dollars than needed.
At the same time, domestic businesses are not investing, which has reduced imports, especially of capital machinery. By the end of October, private sector credit growth was only 6.23 per cent.
