As much as $900 million has been on hold since 2022 in the central bank's escrow account

The central bank’s tight grip has driven the dollar's mid-rate from Tk 117 to Tk 119 per dollar by the end of 2024, sparking debates.

Businessmen involved in import-dependent industries that have suffered losses due to the depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar will get up to eight years to repay their loans.

The Bangladesh Bank injected $12.79 billion into banks from its reserves in the just-concluded 2023-24 fiscal year as banks combatted a severe US dollar crisis which hampered import payments.

It's because of the inflation-led pressures on Bangladesh’s taka and the central bank's undervaluation of the US dollar.

For over a year now, thousands of Bangladeshi students wanting to study abroad have encountered obstacles while trying to open bank profiles essential for paying their fees or other expenses like housing and transportation

Bangladesh Bank is hunting for dollars to rebuild its depleting foreign exchange reserves ahead of the January 7 national election.

Strangely enough, although the government is unable to meet power needs, it pays thousands of crores to government and private power plants as fixed charges or capacity charges every month with taxpayers’ money.

When a year passes, those who had a good time look forward to continuing the momentum while those who had struggled to keep their head above water might breathe a sigh of relief.

The earnings of foreign banks operating in Bangladesh rocketed in 2022 buoyed by their incomes from the dealings of international currencies.

Profits of all power generation companies dropped in the July-March period of fiscal year 2022-23 and some of them even incurred huge losses mainly due to a huge depreciation of the value of the taka against the US dollar that ultimately increased their costs. 

Exports and remittances, two major sources of foreign currencies for Bangladesh, plunged in April, a bad omen for the economy as it deals with multiple challenges, including a dollar crisis, an elevated level of import costs and falling reserves. 

Bangladesh’s import of capital machinery has continued its falling trend as banks have remained cautious in financing purchases amid the dollar crisis while entrepreneurs showed reluctance to expand owing to slowing domestic and export sales. 

This did not happen by chance, but because of poor governance

Bangladesh Bank’s foreign exchange reserves invested in US dollars declined 34 per cent year-on-year to $23.63 billion in February as the country is heavily dependent on the American greenback to settle payments for global trade.

The greenback firmed slightly against most major currencies in Asia trade, sending sterling 0.06 per cent lower to $1.2035

The output at the country’s steel and cement factories has fallen almost by a third due to the power and gas crisis, a hike in raw material prices in the global market, and the US dollar shortage, manufacturers said yesterday. 

Crop protection chemical sellers in Bangladesh are facing difficulty in opening letters of credit amid banks’ lack of interest owing to the crunch of the US dollar.

The ongoing dollar shortage in the banking sector is posing a threat to local textile millers and spinners as they are in trouble in opening letters of credit (LCs) to import raw materials and cotton to feed the country’s readymade garment industry. 

Bangladesh’s conglomerates have lost Tk 65,000 crore over the past one year because of the fluctuation of the value of the taka against the US dollar as loans have become costlier due to the volatile global economy, said a noted economist yesterday.