The government has rejected media reports claiming that the International Monetary Fund has suspended the next instalment of its loan to Bangladesh.

In a statement issued on Friday (17 April) by the press wing of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, D.C., it was clarified that no such decision has been taken.

According to the statement, the Bangladesh delegation, led by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, held two rounds of meetings with the IMF on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings. In the morning, the minister met Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, and later in the afternoon held talks with IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke.

During the meetings, the minister outlined the BNP government’s approach to governance and its electoral commitments. Discussions focused on boosting revenue collection and implementing reforms in the banking and financial sectors. Both sides reached broad agreement on most issues, while acknowledging that further discussions would be required on certain matters.

The minister also emphasised the government’s firm stance on issues related to public interest, where some differences of opinion remain.

The statement added that both sides agreed to continue dialogue, expressing confidence that outstanding issues could be resolved through ongoing discussions. The IMF also reaffirmed its position as a development partner of Bangladesh.

It further noted that the IMF intends to continue supporting Bangladesh as a development partner throughout the tenure of the democratically elected government.