Economy
Ease for Banks as Trade Rate Drops
The interbank exchange rate of USD and average dollar buying rates by banks started to decline just a week after the public and private banks took up some special measures in coordination with the central bank.
According to the central bank, banks traded dollars among themselves at a maximum of Tk105.50 on Sunday. The price was at Tk106.75 just the previous day.
Bankers said the crisis in the dollar market had eased up slightly, but they wanted to observe for a few more months to say anything concrete.
On 12 September, banks started charging Tk99 for export proceeds while paying Tk108 for remittances. Besides, they adopted the weighted average for the past five days to determine the dollar rate instead of imposing day-to-day buying and selling rates.
Several sources of the Bangladesh Foreign Exchange Dealers’ Association (Bafeda) and the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh Limited (ABB) said streamlining the interbank dollar exchange had been a remarkable achievement in the last week.
Before the dollar market became unstable, the central bank used to set a dollar rate at which banks would trade the greenback among themselves. Even in the wake of the dollar crunch, the central bank did not update enough the interbank dollar market for the first five months – allowing remittances to remain the key source for banks to procure US dollars.
Foreign exchange dealers and bankers said the interbank exchange has eased up the market pressure to some extent.
According to the Bangladesh Bank, banks traded $16 million on 12 September at Tk106.15. The price rose slightly to Tk106.90 the next day as the trading stood at $35 million.
On 18 September, the dollar stood at Tk105.50, down Tk1.25 from the previous day. The authorities said dollar trading by banks per day also rose in the meantime.
Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute, said allowing multiple rates for US dollars is a wrong decision that cannot last for a long time.
He proposed following the interbank exchange rate as the uniform dollar price. “To encourage the export, exporters could be offered Tk1 less than this rate. At the same time, the central bank should increase the monitoring.”
The differences in dollar buying rates between different banks are decreasing slowly, which the banks celebrate as the second achievement of export proceeds and remittance rate fixing.
Data from the foreign exchange dealers’ association show the average dollar price was at Tk103.43 on 12 September. On that day, banks bought dollars at a minimum of Tk98 to a maximum of Tk110.18. The gap was more than Tk12.
After a week on Monday, the average stood at Tk102.56. The minimum and maximum dollar buying rates by banks were Tk98.65 and Tk107.92 as the gap narrowed to Tk9.
Commenting that it is not possible to comment on the market stability in such a short period of time, Association of Bankers, Bangladesh Limited Chairman Selim RF Hussain said that stability does not necessarily imply higher or lower dollar rates. Rather it means the rate remains stable for a period of time.
“Our market will take time to be stable,” he said.
During the eleventh month of the current fiscal year, the country’s foreign currency reserves have fallen below $19 billion for the first time. After paying off some import bills, the reserves have now stood at $18.26 billion on Sunday.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as of May 8, the total foreign currency reserves of the country were $19.82 billion.
Mohammad Mezbauul Haque, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, informed that through the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), the central bank has paid off import bills totaling $1.63 billion over the past two months.
However, Bangladesh Bank maintains that after paying off the import bills, the foreign currency reserves now stand at $23.71 billion.
According to the Central Bank’s accounts, the reserves were $25.27 billion on May 8.
The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the DSE Brokers Association (DBA) have expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her directive to list government companies in the capital market, a move hailed as timely and positive.
The directive was issued during the recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) last Thursday.
Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Hasan Babu, Chairman of DSE, described the directive as a significant step towards enhancing the dynamics of the capital market. He emphasized that besides invigorating the capital market, this move would also attract foreign investment and promote sustainable development.
Despite previous efforts, government institutions had not been listed in the stock exchange, according to a notification issued by the DSE. The Prime Minister’s directive is seen as a pivotal step towards revitalizing and expanding the economy.
Dr. Babu further remarked, “The listing of reputable companies in the capital market, as directed by the Prime Minister, will greatly benefit the country’s economy. It will also enhance investor confidence.”
Similarly, the DBA released a notification applauding the Prime Minister’s directive, terming it as positive and timely for the capital market.
Saiful Islam, President of DBA, expressed optimism about the directive’s potential to accelerate the country’s capital market and overall economy. He pledged support to relevant government departments and regulatory bodies in implementing the directive, ensuring its positive impact on the economy, including the capital market.
India has expressed interest in financing Bangladesh’s Teesta project, announced Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Mahmud stressed the importance of aligning the project with Bangladesh’s needs. He confirmed discussions on the Teesta issue during the meeting. Mahmud also affirmed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming visit to New Delhi, indicating that the finalization of the date would depend on the formation of the new Indian government following ongoing elections.
Meanwhile, the IMF has approved a $1.15 billion staff-level loan for Bangladesh in its third tranche. Mahmud noted the ongoing elections in India and the subsequent formation of the new government as factors influencing the scheduling of PM Hasina’s visit.
When asked about the sequence of visits to India and China, Mahmud suggested Delhi’s geographical proximity to Bangladesh. Diplomatic sources suggest PM Hasina’s visit to India is planned for early July, following India’s elections.
Pre-election surveys indicate strong prospects for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election. Modi previously congratulated PM Hasina on her electoral victory in January, expressing optimism about strengthening ties between the two nations.
The last bilateral engagement between the prime ministers occurred during the G-20 Leaders Summit in September 2023. Modi is expected to invite South Asian and BIMSTEC leaders to his swearing-in ceremony, fostering regional cooperation.
Addressing border killings, Mahmud emphasized the government’s commitment to ending such incidents and promoting the use of non-lethal weapons by border forces. Discussions also covered enhancing physical and people-to-people connectivity, including cooperation with India to import hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan through India. Mahmud highlighted the need to further ease visa restrictions to strengthen people-to-people relations.
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