BB's dollar purchase nears $1b in one and half months as it buys $47m more
Bangladesh Bank Spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan told TBS that $950 million has been purchased so far since the central bank began buying dollars in an auction on 13 July
Highlights
- BB bought $1b in 1.5 months, including $47.5M on 2 Sept
- Total purchase since 13 July is $950M
- Target exchange band is Tk121.50 to Tk122.50
- Forex reserves stand at $26.34B as of 2 Sept
The Bangladesh Bank has purchased nearly $1 billion from banks over the past one and a half months, including $47.50 million today (2 September), in an effort to stabilise the exchange rate and support remittance and export flows.
Bangladesh Bank Spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan told TBS that $950 million has been purchased so far since the central bank began buying dollars in an auction on 13 July.
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"Today, $47.50 million has been bought from 8 banks with exchange rates ranging between Tk121.70–121.75 under the Multiple Price Auction method. The cut-off was Tk121.75," he said.
Earlier, on 28 August, Bangladesh Bank purchased $149.5 million from commercial banks through another auction. That day, the central bank initially targeted $30 million but ended up buying a much larger amount, with a cut-off rate of Tk121.70.
The central bank first began purchasing dollars through auctions on 13 July, acquiring $171 million at Tk121.50. Two days later, on 15 July, it bought another $313 million at the same rate. This marked a major policy shift, with Bangladesh Bank now actively intervening to prevent a sharp decline in the dollar's value.
A deputy managing director of a leading private bank said that a year of strong remittance and export inflows has allowed banks to clear long-standing overdue import bills, particularly for fuel. With those payments settled and import pressure easing, the supply of dollars is now exceeding demand, pushing the rate down.
"The central bank's intervention is seen as a way to maintain the rate within an apparent target range of Tk121.50 to Tk122.50," the banker added.
According to central bank data, as of 2 September 2025, the country's foreign exchange reserves stood at $26.34 billion under the BPM6 calculation method.
