Bangladesh Bank Purchases $45m to Stabilize Reserves After ACU Payment

Bangladesh Bank (BB) purchased $45 million from a commercial bank on Monday to bolster foreign exchange reserves following a major payment to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU).

The dollars were bought at a rate of Tk 122.75 each. According to BB Executive Director and Spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan, the move brings the country’s net reserves calculated under the IMF’s BPM6 manual to $29.56 billion. The gross reserve figure currently stands at $34.22 billion.

Monthly Inflow and ACU Impact

The central bank has been active in the market, purchasing $125 million this month alone. So far in the current fiscal year, total dollar purchases have reached $5.79 billion.

This latest injection follows a dip in reserves to $29.47 billion on May 7, after the central bank cleared $1.51 billion in ACU liabilities for the March-April period.

The ACU is a regional payment settlement system involving countries like India, Pakistan and Nepal. Sri Lanka is currently the only original member absent from the union, having withdrawn in 2022 during its economic crisis.