$5.5b loan: IMF wants to consult with elected govt before next tranche, says BB governor
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants to consult with an elected government in Bangladesh before the next disbursement of its $5.5 billion loan package, which is due in December, as national polls are imminent.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, who is currently in Washington to attend the 2025 IMF and World Bank annual meetings, told the Business Standard over the phone that the IMF wants to consult with the next government on the matter.
"Bangladesh neither agrees nor disagrees with them," said the central bank governor.
"We do not have any financial stress, so it will not be a problem. What we want is policy continuation. We will continue the discussion so that our policy commitment remains on the right track," he added.
The official went on to say that what is important is the completion of the review, not disbursement.
"As the election is near, it will not be logical to complete the review before it, because the Article IV Mission is also included in the review. So they want to complete the review after consultation with the next government.
"The Article IV Mission of the IMF will arrive in October, and they will also review partially the loan package development, but they will not complete the review."
Ahsan said the final review will be placed before the board in February, when the election will already be there.
So far Bangladesh has received $3.6 billion of the $5.5 billion loan programme.
The fifth instalment was due in December, with the sixth scheduled for June next year.
Before releasing each instalment, an IMF mission typically visits Bangladesh for a two-week review to assess progress in meeting reform conditions.
The mission is set to arrive on 29 October to begin its assessment for the fifth instalment.