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Dhaka, May 6, 2025 – Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves remain in a stable and acceptable position, bolstered by a steady increase in remittance inflows and export earnings, despite the settlement of significant import bills.
According to the Bangladesh Bank, the country cleared $1.883 billion in import bills for March and April under the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) on Tuesday, yet the reserves continue to hold strong above $20 billion in net terms and over $25 billion in gross terms.
Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and spokesperson for Bangladesh Bank, told Dhaka Post that the reserve levels have not faced significant pressure despite the ACU payment. He attributed the stability to consistent remittance flows from expatriates and a positive trend in export earnings. “The reserves are in a stable and acceptable state, largely due to the sustained remittance inflows and growing export revenues,” Khan said.
Historical data from the central bank shows that Bangladesh’s reserves peaked at $48.06 billion in August 2022. However, large-scale money laundering, allegedly facilitated by certain individuals and groups during the previous Awami League government, led to a sharp decline. By July 2024, reserves had dropped to $20.39 billion. Following the government’s collapse, the central bank adopted stringent measures to curb money laundering and stopped selling dollars from reserves. These efforts enabled the country to settle $3.7 billion in overdue payments while maintaining acceptable reserve levels.
As of May 4, 2025, Bangladesh Bank reported gross reserves at $27.35 billion, with net reserves, as per the International Monetary Fund’s BPM-6 standard, at $21.97 billion.
The Asian Clearing Union (ACU) is an inter-country transaction settlement system facilitating trade among member countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, the ACU enables central banks to settle import payments every two months. Sri Lanka’s membership has been temporarily suspended due to its failure to meet payment conditions amid an economic crisis.
Despite political changes and economic challenges, Bangladesh’s export sector has shown resilience. In the first ten months of the 2024-25 fiscal year (July to April), export earnings reached $40.21 billion, a 9.83% increase compared to the same period last year.
The interim government’s strict measures against money laundering have reduced illegal outflows through channels like hundi, boosting remittance inflows through legal banking channels. In April 2025, remittances totaled $1.752 billion, equivalent to BDT 33,574 crore (at BDT 122 per USD), marking the second-highest monthly inflow on record. The highest was $3.29 billion in March 2025, followed by $2.64 billion in December 2024.
From July to April in the 2024-25 fiscal year, expatriates sent $24.54 billion in remittances, a 28.3% increase from the $19.12 billion recorded in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Central bank officials credit these measures for driving the surge in legal remittance flows.
AI/MR
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