Bangladesh pays $1.51b ACU bill for March-April, reserves set to dip
Foreign exchange reserves expected to decline following settlement of import payments under regional clearing mechanism
Bangladesh has settled an import bill of $1.51 billion for the March-April period under the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), a move that is expected to reduce the country's foreign exchange reserves.
Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Aref Hossain Khan confirmed the payment today (6 May).
According to central bank data, the country's gross reserves stood at $35.33 billion at the end of 6 May. Under the International Monetary Fund's BPM6 calculation method, reserves were recorded at $30.64 billion.
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Reserves typically decline after ACU payments, and a similar trend is expected this time. However, officials noted that it takes a few days for adjustments to be reflected, meaning the immediate impact may not be visible.
Earlier, Bangladesh paid $1.36 billion for the January-February period. The ACU bill stood at $1.53 billion for November-December of the previous year, while $1.61 billion was paid for September-October that year.
The ACU is a regional payment arrangement among several Asian central banks that facilitates the settlement of import and export transactions among member countries every two months.
Bangladesh conducts trade settlements with ACU member states-including India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan and the Maldives-through this mechanism, while transactions with other countries are generally settled immediately.
