BB buys $209m more to stabilise forex market

Bangladesh Bank today (9 February) purchased $209 million from 19 commercial banks at a rate of Tk122.30 per dollar, as part of its ongoing efforts to stabilise the foreign exchange market and support the flow of remittance and export earnings.

Confirming that matter, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan told reporters that the central bank has so far bought more than $4.73 billion from commercial banks through auctions in the current fiscal year.

With the latest purchase, Bangladesh Bank has bought a total of $795 million in February alone.

The central bank has been purchasing dollars through auctions primarily due to increased supply in the market, driven by higher remittance inflows through formal banking channels.

As a result, commercial banks are showing greater interest in selling dollars to the central bank.

A senior official of Bangladesh Bank told The Business Standard that banks are eager to offload surplus dollars, while the central bank is taking advantage of the situation to strengthen its foreign exchange reserves.

In January 2026, the country received $3.17 billion in remittances, marking the third-highest monthly inflow in its history. This figure represents a 45.41% increase compared to January 2025, when remittances stood at $2.18 billion.

Previously, the highest monthly remittance was recorded in March 2025 at $3.29 billion, while the second-highest was in December of the same year at $3.22 billion.

According to another senior official of the central bank, the dollar purchases are aimed at maintaining support for exporters and sustaining the remittance flow, while also preventing a decline in the dollar's exchange rate.

Bangladesh Bank began buying dollars through auctions from July of the current fiscal year. The purchase of dollars has simultaneously injected an equivalent amount of taka into the banking system.