Freight sector gets remittance relief
Bangladesh Bank (BB) has introduced greater flexibility in the receipt of inward remittances by licensed freight forwarders, allowing them to receive payments from a broader range of overseas entities involved in international trade.
In a circular issued on Monday by the Foreign Exchange Policy Department (FEPD), the central bank referred to its earlier FEPD-1 Circular No. 08 dated 7 May 2026 and subsequent instructions, under which authorised dealers were permitted to process inward remittances of freight charges collected from overseas importers through counterpart freight forwarders abroad and remitted to Bangladesh through normal banking channels.
To facilitate smoother business operations and enhance transactional flexibility
, Bangladesh Bank has now expanded the scope of eligible remitters.
Under the revised policy, licensed freight forwarders will be able to receive inward remittances not only from their overseas counterpart freight forwarders but also directly from other foreign entities involved in trade transactions. These include overseas importers, buying houses and other foreign parties responsible for arranging shipments.
The move is expected to simplify payment arrangements in international freight and logistics services by enabling foreign buyers and related entities to remit freight charges directly to Bangladeshi freight forwarders through the banking system.
According to the central bank, all other instructions governing such transactions will remain unchanged.
Authorised dealers have been instructed to inform their relevant clients of the new provisions.
The circular was issued under the powers vested in Bangladesh Bank under Section 20(3) of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947.
The latest policy adjustment is expected to support trade facilitation efforts by streamlining payment processes and easing the inflow of legitimate foreign exchange earnings into Bangladesh’s freight forwarding and logistics sector.
