Bangladesh’s forex reserves rise to $34.23bn

The country’s foreign exchange reserves have climbed to $34.226 billion, supported by strong remittance inflows and improving foreign currency liquidity, Bangladesh Bank said on Monday (May 11).

According to the central bank’s latest data, Bangladesh’s gross foreign exchange reserves stood at $34,226.33 million as of May 11. Under the IMF’s BPM6 accounting method, the reserve amount was recorded at $29,565.66 million.

The rise comes amid a significant increase in remittance earnings during the 2025–26 fiscal year.

Bangladesh Bank data showed that expatriates sent a total of $30.362 billion in remittances between July 1 and May 9, compared with $25.401 billion during the same period of the previous fiscal year — marking a 19.5 per cent year-on-year growth.

In the first nine days of May alone, remittance inflows reached $1.029 billion, up 19.1 per cent from $864 million recorded during the corresponding period last year.

The central bank also reported that Bangladesh received $277 million in remittances between May 7 and May 9 alone.

Economists and banking sector insiders attributed the continued growth in remittance inflows to government incentives for using formal banking channels, simplified financial services and rising confidence among expatriate Bangladeshis in the country’s banking system.