The country cleared $1.50 billion in import bills under the Asian Clearing Union (ACU)
Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $25.30 billion today—according to the International Monetary Fund’s calculation—after the country cleared $1.50 billion in import bills under the Asian Clearing Union (ACU).
The Tehran-based organisation facilitates payment settlements among nine member countries: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. Under the ACU mechanism, Bangladesh clears its import bills every two months, leading to a temporary decline in reserves after each payment.
Following the payment, Bangladesh’s gross reserves stood at $30.04 billion overall, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
The foreign exchange reserves, which had fallen below $20 billion in the first half of last year, have been on the rise in recent months, buoyed by increased inflows of remittances and export earnings.
On September 4 last year, the reserves were $20.55 billion, according to the sixth edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) published by the IMF.
In its July issue of Exchange Rate & Foreign Exchange Market Dynamics, Bangladesh Bank said pressure in the foreign exchange market continued easing on the back of favourable developments in the balance of payments—a summary of a country’s transactions with the rest of the world.
The central bank added that the surplus in the overall balance of payments rose to $3.4 billion during the 2024-25 fiscal year, with a significant improvement in the current account balance driven by a surge in remittance inflows, strong export growth, and weak import demand.
