02/06/2026
Bangladesh’s latest macroeconomic indicators show a broadly stable but cautious outlook, with stronger revenue collection offsetting persistent external and credit-sector weaknesses. The country’s foreign exchange reserve edged down by 0.06% to USD 29.89 billion, while the Bangladeshi Taka remained unchanged at 122.75 for a fourth consecutive week, reflecting continued exchange-rate stability. The call money rate increased slightly to 9.95% from 9.90%, indicating mild tightening in short-term liquidity conditions.
The external sector remained mixed. Remittance inflows rose 13.82% year-on-year to USD 3.13 billion in April, continuing to provide crucial support to foreign exchange inflows and household consumption. However, exports declined sharply by 18.54% year-on-year to USD 3.12 billion, highlighting persistent weakness in global demand and export competitiveness. Imports fell by 3.42% year-on-year to USD 5.38 billion, easing some pressure on the trade balance. As a result, the current account deficit improved to USD -0.396 billion during July–March FY26, compared to -0.878 billion in the same period of FY25.
Investment indicators remained weak but showed signs of stabilization. Capital machinery imports contracted by 3.07% during July–March FY26, but this was a significant improvement from the -26.02% contraction recorded a year earlier, suggesting that the investment slowdown is moderating even if a full recovery remains elusive.
On the inflation front, CPI increased to 9.04% in April from 8.71% in March, pointing to renewed inflationary pressures after the previous month's easing. Fiscal performance, however, strengthened considerably, with April tax revenue growth surging to 27.76%, compared to 9.64% growth a year earlier, highlighting a strong rebound in revenue collection and improved fiscal momentum.
Monetary indicators continued to diverge. M2 growth accelerated to 10.43% in March FY26, up from 7.43% a year earlier, reflecting ample liquidity in the financial system. However, private sector credit growth slowed sharply to 6.03%, compared to 9.9% in FY25, underscoring persistent caution in business borrowing and investment financing. Overall, GDP growth stood at 3.49%, while classified loans remained elevated at 30.60% of total loans. Although lower than September's level, much of the decline stemmed from loan rescheduling rather than genuine improvement in asset quality, leaving long-term banking sector risks largely intact under the supervision of Bangladesh Bank.
