Senior Staff Reporter covering the economy and banking sector in Bangladesh for 14 years
Bangladesh Bank yesterday began publishing foreign currency reserves as per the International Monetary Fund’s BPM6 manual, in a move that will ensure that the country’s dollar stockpile is reported accurately.
Bangladesh, India to begin bilateral trade in rupee from July 11
The banking sector is burdened by a high non-performing loan (NPL) and will need to continue measures to beef up supervision and accelerate loan recovery, according to the Bangladesh Bank.
The country’s foreign exchange reserves rose past $31 billion yesterday after three multilateral lenders provided $925 million to Bangladesh.
Allowing directors to stay on for 12 years will deal a huge blow to the financial health of banks, which are already facing several crises, including a lack of corporate governance in recent years, say experts.
On the surface, the monetary policy appears to be tuned to the need of the hour: bring down inflation and conserve reserves. But it comes caving down on careful reading.
The Bangladesh Bank may today raise its key interest rates to tame inflationary pressure but the attempt might go in vain since the monetary authority may not withdraw the interest rate cap on loans in a true sense.
Eleven banks in Bangladesh faced a collective capital shortfall of Tk 33,575 crore in March, up 9.3 per cent from a quarter ago, in a reflection of their worsening financial health caused by persisting irregularities and lack of governance, central bank data showed.
It increased by Tk 10,954 crore to hit Tk 131,621 crore in March
The government has kept borrowing a hefty amount of funds from the Bangladesh Bank as commercial banks are unable to meet the financing requirement of the state because of the liquidity crunch.
Bangladesh’s trade gap and current account deficit have narrowed significantly in recent months but the positive developments might not prove enough to bring back stability to the economy.
The US dollar sold by the central bank has surpassed the $12-billion mark in the ongoing fiscal year as it has had to pump the American greenbacks into the market in order to clear import bills.
The deficit in Bangladesh’s financial account widened further in the first nine months of the ongoing fiscal year, an indication that the current instability in the foreign exchange market will continue in the coming months.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country increased 20 per cent year-on-year to $3.48 billion in 2022 for a surge in reinvestment of earnings by foreign companies.
The taka has lost its value further against the US dollar after the Bangladesh Bank sold the greenback at Tk 104.5 as the foreign exchange reserves keep falling.
Exports and remittances, two major sources of foreign currencies for Bangladesh, plunged in April, a bad omen for the economy as it deals with multiple challenges, including a dollar crisis, an elevated level of import costs and falling reserves.
It hit $30.92b on April 30, down from $44.01b on same day a year ago
Private sector credit growth in Bangladesh slipped to a 12-month low of 12.03 per cent in March, a development that may hurt GDP growth and job creation.