Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves again slipped below $28 billion after clearing $1.53 billion in import bills through the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), according to central bank officials.
Following the settlement, the country’s reserves fell to $27.85 billion, said Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Arief Hossain Khan.
The drop comes just days after the reserves showed a sharp recovery. On Wednesday, the central bank said gross reserves had climbed by nearly $1 billion within a fortnight to $29.19 billion, largely driven by US dollar purchases from the banking system.
Under the International Monetary Fund’s BPM6 accounting framework, Bangladesh’s gross reserves stood at $28.04 billion on 22 December, indicating an increase of about $1 billion before the ACU settlement.
Central bank officials said the recent build-up was supported by improved US dollar liquidity, particularly from higher remittance inflows.
To prevent excessive appreciation of the Taka, Bangladesh Bank has been absorbing surplus US dollars through auctions.
Bangladesh Bank data shows that total US dollar purchases during the first six months of the current fiscal year (July to 6 January) reached $3.54 billion. Of this, $411 million was bought in January alone.
The Asian Clearing Union, established in 1974 under a UN initiative, facilitates regional trade settlements among nine member countries, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran and Sri Lanka.
