Bangladesh's gross foreign exchange reserves rose to $21.45 billion as the central bank has stepped up efforts to ensure a stock of international currencies in line with the prescription of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The boost to the reserves stems mainly from the purchase of US dollars from Islami Bank Bangladesh as well as the release of the installments of the loans from the IMF and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Bank bought $200 million from Islami Bank, said a central bank source.

Earlier, Bangladesh received $689 million from the IMF and $400 million from the ADB in loans.