Reserves Stay Above $31bn After Latest ACU Payment

Reserves Stay Above $31bn After Latest ACU Payment

Bangladesh Bank has settled US$1.61 billion in import payments to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) for September and October 2025, keeping the country's foreign exchange reserves above the $31-billion level.

After the settlement on Sunday, the gross foreign exchange reserve stands at $31.14 billion, compared to $30.31 billion recorded in September following a similar $1.5 billion payment.
Under the IMF’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) method, the reserve is currently $26.44 billion, up from $25.40 billion in September.

Before the latest ACU adjustment, the gross reserve stood at $32.71 billion, while the BPM6 figure was $28 billion. Bangladesh Bank began publishing reserves under the IMF-prescribed BPM6 framework in June 2023, in line with the IMF loan conditions, when reserves were $24.75 billion.

Last week’s gross reserve figure of $32.71 billion was the highest in nearly 32 months.

The ACU is a bi-monthly regional payment mechanism used for trade settlements among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Sri Lanka withdrew during its economic crisis and has not yet rejoined.

Bangladesh’s reserves had reached a peak of $48 billion in August 2021 before declining to around $16 billion in the final months of the previous government. Since the change of government, tighter controls on money laundering and a clampdown on hundi networks have helped channel more remittances through official channels.

Remittances totalled $10.90 billion from the start of the current fiscal year to 8 November, marking a 14 percent increase compared to the same period a year earlier.