Country's foreign exchange reserves cross $35bn mark again

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have climbed back above the $35 billion threshold, supported by steady remittance inflows and stable foreign currency market conditions.

According to Bangladesh Bank data released on Thursday (April 17), reserves stood at $30.37 billion under the IMF’s BPM-6 accounting method. The country’s gross reserves, however, reached $35.04 billion.

The last time reserves crossed the $35 billion mark was on February 24 this year, when they stood at $35.04 billion at the end of the day.

Bangladesh first surpassed the milestone in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when remittance inflows surged due to restricted global travel.

The central bank said the latest increase has been driven primarily by strong remittance inflows and stable dollar supply through the banking channel. The upward trend in remittances has continued into April.

Between April 1 and April 15, expatriates sent $1.79 billion in remittances, including $181 million received in a single day. This represents a 21.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

For the 2025–26 fiscal year up to April 15, total remittances stood at $27.99 billion, up around 20.4 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank has continued its dollar purchase operations to manage excess liquidity in the foreign exchange market. On April 16, the central bank bought $50 million from four commercial banks at a cut-off rate of Tk 122.75 per dollar.

Total dollar purchases in April so far have reached $120 million.