Bangladesh’s reserves still remain above $31 billion after ACU payment

The Bangladesh Bank has settled $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 mark.

Following Sunday’s payment, the gross foreign exchange reserves now stand at $31.14 billion, higher than September’s $30.31 billion recorded after a similar $1.5 billion ACU payment.

Based on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) methodology, the reserve currently amounts to $26.44 billion, up from $25.40 billion in September.

Before the latest ACU settlement, the gross reserve was $32.71 billion, while the BPM6 figure stood at $28 billion. The central bank has been publishing reserve figures under the IMF’s BPM6 system since June 2023, in line with the IMF loan conditions. At that time, the reserve was $24.75 billion.

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

The ACU (Asian Clearing Union) is a regional payment mechanism that facilitates trade settlements among member countries every two months. Its current members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Sri Lanka, a former member, withdrew amid its economic crisis and has yet to rejoin despite signs of recovery.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves had peaked at $48 billion in August 2021 but later declined steadily, dropping to around $16 billion during the final days of the previous Awami League government.

Since the government transition, tighter measures against money laundering have reduced hundi (illegal money transfer) operations, contributing to higher formal remittance inflows.

Remittances reached $10.90 billion from the start of the current fiscal year to 8 November, representing a 14% rise compared to the same period a year earlier.