Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed satisfaction with Bangladesh’s ongoing economic reforms although reiterated concerns over several structural challenges that require closer attention.
“They said the situation is overall good, but they are monitoring the challenges. We are working under a plan, but they feel that taking some steps a little faster would bring better outcomes,” he told reporters after meetings of the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs and the Committee on Government Purchase at the Secretariat.
He also said that the IMF is particularly concerned about the speed of policy implementation especially surrounding interest rate adjustments.
“Increasing the policy rate by the central bank cannot be done suddenly. Everyone knows that. We have to ensure supply-side improvements at the same time,” he said.
Salehuddin also mentioned that the IMF has raised issues related to the banking sector.
“They have taken five banks under observation which they consider a major challenge,” he said, adding that the government needs to undertake tough reforms to strengthen financial governance.
On revenue administration, the adviser said the IMF is satisfied with the current progress of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) but expects reforms to continue steadily. “The process has become principled, but manpower restructuring and capacity enhancement will take time,” he said.
He added that while it may not be possible to achieve a complete turnaround within the current government’s tenure substantial groundwork and structural preparations would be completed.
“We may not reach the final conclusion, but the logical framework and preparatory work will be done,” he assured.
Responding to a question on whether the IMF has set any new conditions, Salehuddin said no fresh conditions were imposed.
“This was more like a consultation. They expressed satisfaction with the measures we have taken so far. The economic situation is largely under control, and the remaining time will be used for consolidation,” he said.
The $4.7 billion IMF loan programme, approved in January 2023, aims to support Bangladesh’s economic stability, strengthen fiscal reforms, and enhance resilience amid global economic pressures.
Several tranches have already been disbursed while further installments remain tied to policy performance benchmarks and structural reforms.
The IMF will delay disbursing the sixth tranche until the next national election and the new elected government assumes office.
Finance ministry officials said that they are expecting the releases of the sixth and the seventh tranches in June 2026.
On 23 June, the IMF approved the release of the fourth and fifth tranches amounting to $1.3 billion, taking the overall amount of disbursement to $3.6 billion.
