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The government plans to get additional $2.0 billion fund from the development partners to support BoP (balance of payment) through minimising external shocks caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle Eastern counties.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman made the disclosure on Sunday while consultation meeting with media personalities of the country’s leading print media outlets regarding the central bank’s current role on the context ongoing tension in the Middle East after USA-Israel launched attack on Iran.

“Though it is in preliminary stage, we have already shared our plan to the IMF (International Monetary Fund) while ERD is also working with other sources for the BoP-supporting fund,” he said.

The media persons expressed their concern over negative impact on foreign currency reserve if the war in the Gulf Countries prolongs further as nearly 70 per cent of the $30 billion remittance comes from this region and it might badly impact the country’s BoP position.

But the central bankers attended the meeting turned down the fear of immediate impact of the war that begun on February 28 last, saying that the country has enough stock of foreign currencies to mitigate immediate shocks of the crisis if it arises.

The BB governor said energy security remains another major concern. The government is exploring bilateral arrangements and diversified sourcing to reduce dependence on single suppliers and manage import costs. Long-term strategies are also being considered to ensure stability in energy supply.

The governor said there should be no political influence in the financial sector. Instructions have been given to take decisions without any form of external influence, even as they push for stronger governance and accountability.

He said though the global success rate in terms of recovering stolen assets remains nominal, efforts are also underway to recover siphoned-off assets as majority of the banks signed NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with the global renowned firms.

On the economic front, Mr Rahman said, three priority sectors have been identified to stimulate growth: agriculture, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the revival of idle industrial production bases.

The central bank governor stressed the importance of bringing underutilised factories back into production—even partially—to prevent further economic loss and maximize the use of national assets.

The central bank also expressed concern over the country’s low tax-to-GDP ratio, currently below 7 per cent, noting that both administrative reforms and increased economic activity are needed to improve revenue collection.

In a major policy push, he said, they are accelerating the transition to cashless transactions. The use of a unified Bangla QR payment system, “Bangla QR,” will be made mandatory at all payment points by June 30, with enforcement measures, including penalties for non-compliance, expected from July.

Officials believe this will increase transaction transparency, reduce cash handling costs, and boost revenue.

BB Deputy Governor Dr. Md. Kabir Ahmed said there will be no serious pressure as far as foreign currency reserve is concern. The forex reserve stood at $34 billion now and the NOP (net open position) in banks rose to $800 million.

On the other hand, he said, they expect that the country would see at least $2.0 billion higher of remittance inflow in this financial year (FY’26) from the figure of previous fiscal (FY’25). Simultaneously, the IMF is expected to be disbursed two remaining installments involving Tk 1.20 billion of its $5.5 billion lending package for stabilising Bangladesh’s macroeconomic situations, he said.

Dr. Kabir also said the demand for US dollars is relatively low in the post-winter season. “So, there is no worry as far as forex reserve is concerned.”

BB deputy governors Nurun Nahar, Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman and Md. Zakir Hossain Chowdhury and BB spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan also spoke at the meeting.