An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is set to visit Bangladesh in April to review the conditions tied to the ongoing $4.7 billion loan program. The visit comes as Bangladesh aims to secure the delayed fourth and fifth tranches, totaling $2.39 billion.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the IMF team will arrive in Dhaka on April 5 and conduct discussions with various government agencies from April 6 to April 17. The delegation will assess Bangladesh’s progress in meeting key conditions before approving the loan disbursement.
Meetings will be held with the Ministry of Finance, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Power Division, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), and the Energy and Mineral Resources Division. The review will conclude with a press briefing on April 17.
Bangladesh initiated the IMF loan program on January 30, 2023, and has so far received three installments, amounting to $2.31 billion. However, the fourth installment was delayed due to unmet conditions. The government now hopes to receive both the fourth and fifth installments in June.
Key hurdles to securing the funds include adopting a market-driven exchange rate, increasing revenue collection by 0.5% of GDP, and separating revenue administration from NBR’s tax policy.
Liberty News’ economic correspondent states that this will be the second major IMF delegation visit since the interim government, led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, took office on August 8, 2024.
LND/BG
