Bangladesh Bank has relaunched a pre-shipment credit refinance scheme within three days of a request from the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), moving to ease financing constraints for exporters amid rising global uncertainty.
The central bank on Thursday issued a circular reinstating the scheme, citing the need to sustain export growth, maintain production continuity and strengthen foreign currency inflows as global trade remains affected by geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Gulf region.
The refinance facility, originally introduced in 2020 with a tenure of five years, expired on 12 April last year. Business leaders had urged its revival during a meeting with the governor earlier this week, arguing that exporters were facing mounting cost pressures and tighter access to credit.
Under the revised arrangement, Tk5,000 crore will be made available on a revolving basis from the Export Facilitation Pre-finance Fund (EFPF), with the scheme’s tenure extended until 2030 with immediate effect.
Loans will be disbursed to exporters through participating commercial banks on a first-come, first-served basis. The central bank has capped exposure at Tk200 crore for any single company or business group at a given time.
All scheduled banks will be eligible to access the facility, subject to signing fresh participation agreements with the regulator. The Banking Regulation and Policy Department-3 (BRPD) will oversee implementation and issue operational guidelines where required.
Banks will be required to apply for refinancing within one week of disbursing pre-shipment credit. Late applications may be considered within an additional 15 days, provided valid reasons are submitted.
To strengthen oversight, participating banks must submit quarterly reports on disbursement and recovery within 15 days of the end of each quarter.
On pricing, Bangladesh Bank officials said the interest structure remains unchanged. Participating banks will access funds at 2 per cent and lend to exporters at 5 per cent.
Industry leaders welcomed the move, describing it as timely support for exporters navigating a difficult external environment.
The move signals a calibrated policy response by the central bank, offering targeted support to the export sector without altering the broader tight monetary stance aimed at containing inflation and preserving external stability.
