Net reserves now $16.77b, BB releases data for the first time

The central bank has shared data of the net international reserves (NIR) of Bangladesh for the first time.

The NIR now stands at $16.77 billion, Bangladesh Bank Spokesperson Md Mezbaul Haque told reporters yesterday.

The net reserves represent readily-available cash derived from gross reserves.

It is calculated by excluding short-term liabilities from the gross reserves in line with the International Monetary Fund's BPM6 formula.

The central bank usually calculates the foreign exchange reserves using two methods.

One is as per the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6), the method used by the IMF, while the other is produced using the central bank's own calculation method.

As per the BPM6 method, the gross reserves stood at $21.83 billion on June 30, up from $19.4 billion on June 26, the spokesperson said.

As per the central bank's own method, gross reserves stood at $26.88 billion on June 30.

Bangladesh's monthly import bill is around $5 billion, which means Bangladesh will be able to cover at least three months of import bills using the NIR.

Bangladesh also achieved the targeted foreign exchange reserves set by the IMF for the first time since agreeing to a $4.7 billion loan programme, which has also played a big role in tackling the forex crunch.

The target was set at $14.7 billion for June.

The reserves also received a boost on June 24, when the IMF approved $1.15 billion in the third tranche of the loan.

The country's foreign exchange market has been volatile because of higher dollar outflow despite the government's austerity measures, including controlling import payments.

Since August 2021, the forex reserves have fallen by $24 billion.