International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Bangladesh is not in a crisis mode and its external position is "very different from several countries in the region.

Rahul Anand, division chief in the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, made the observation during an online conference on Tuesday.

Mentioning that Bangladesh has a low risk of debt distress and is very different from Sri Lanka, he said Bangladesh's external debt is relatively low, close to 14% of GDP.

In refer to the Bangladesh government's loan appeal to IMF, Rahul Ananad said the request is “pre-emptive” and talks for the support package are likely to begin after the third week of October.

The first staff mission is expected to take place after the 2022 annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group, which will take place in person from October 10 to October 16 in Washington DC.