Bangladesh's reserves fall below $20 billion once again after clearing ACU payments

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have once again dropped below $20 billion following the recent payment of its import bill to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU).

On November 10, Bangladesh paid $1.5 billion to the ACU to cover import dues for September and October, bringing reserves down to $18.19 billion based on the IMF’s BPM-6 calculation, confirmed Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Hosne Ara Shikha to *bdnews24.com*.

Previously, on September 9, Bangladesh paid $1.36 billion to the ACU for import bills from July and August.

For three consecutive months, remittance inflows surpassed $6 billion and export earnings exceeded $10 billion. This, combined with reduced demand for opening import LCs, ensured sufficient dollar availability in banks. With an excess of dollars in the market, the central bank was able to purchase dollars, boosting reserves. Inflows from foreign loans also added to the reserve balance.

On November 7, after two months, reserves briefly rose above the $20 billion mark. However, following the recent ACU payment, reserves have once again fallen below that level.

Bangladesh typically makes payments to the ACU every two months.