Bangladesh’s gross foreign exchange reserves have surpassed the $30-billion mark for the first time in two years, offering a measure of relief for the economy grappling with prolonged external pressures.

According to Bangladesh Bank data, reserves stood at $30.51 billion as of 26 June in the central bank’s calculation, and $25.51 billion under the IMF’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) methodology.

The improvement comes after the disbursement of the fourth and fifth tranches—totalling $1.3 billion—under the International Monetary Fund’s $4.7-billion support programme aimed at stabilising the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals. The reserve stock has grown by approximately $5 billion within June alone.

In addition to IMF support, disbursements from multilateral partners such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Japan International Cooperation Agency have further bolstered reserves. A steady rise in remittances and export earnings has also supported the recovery.

“This is the highest reserve figure since June 2023,” a central bank official said, noting that reserves had continued to climb despite recent payments for outstanding external liabilities.

Remittance inflows reached $1.99 billion in the first 21 days of June and are projected to exceed $3 billion for the month, only the second time this level would be achieved in the country’s history.

Dr M Masrur Reaz, Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, said the reserve rebound signals early recovery in the country’s external sector. He added that it will support Bangladesh’s recently adopted market-based exchange rate regime and help stabilise the foreign exchange market.