Bangladesh’s foreign exchange (forex) reserve has crossed the US$36 billion-mark -- for the first time in history, following lower import payment obligations and higher growth of inward remittance.

The forex reserve rose to $36.02 billion on June 30, setting a new record, from $35.93 billion of the previous working day, according to the central bank’s latest data.

“Our forex reserve has crossed the $36 billion-mark following lower import payment pressure on the economy and upward trend of inward remittance in the recent months,” a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) said.

He also said foreign loans and assistants have also contributed to obtain the new record of foreign exchange reserve.