A high-level delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has arrived in Dhaka to assess the current economic situation and review the conditions tied to Bangladesh’s ongoing $4.7 billion loan program.
The team is led by Chris Papageorgiou, Head of the Development Macroeconomics Division in the IMF’s Research Department.
The delegation will meet with the Bangladesh Bank and other relevant government agencies to discuss the disbursement of the fourth and fifth tranches of the loan.
According to the pre-announced schedule, the IMF team will hold its first meeting today, Sunday (April 6), with the Bangladesh Bank. On the same day, they are also scheduled to meet with economic advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.
The delegation's visit will conclude with a press conference on April 17.
During this mission, IMF officials will also engage in discussions with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, National Board of Revenue (NBR), Power Division, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
The primary focus will be on evaluating Bangladesh’s macroeconomic performance and progress toward meeting IMF’s loan conditions. The delegation will assess how aligned the government's policy actions are with IMF guidelines.
Bangladesh initially signed the $4.7 billion loan agreement with the IMF on January 30, 2023. The first tranche of $476.3 million was disbursed in February 2023, followed by $681 million in December of the same year, and a third tranche of $1.15 billion in June 2024. In total, Bangladesh has received $2.31 billion so far, with $2.39 billion still pending.
After a mass uprising led by anti-discrimination student movements led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in August 2024, a caretaker government was formed under the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Since then, complexities have emerged regarding the release of the remaining loan tranches due to IMF's conditionalities.
Although the disbursement has been delayed twice under the interim government’s eight-month tenure, the current administration hopes to receive both the fourth and fifth tranches by June. However, fulfilling IMF’s stringent conditions remains a significant challenge.
