Published : 04 Oct 2026, 10:50 PM
Updated : 04 Oct 2026, 10:50 PM
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said Bangladesh has cancelled its International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme, rejecting the lender’s conditions.
Khosru made the remarks at the inauguration of “World Investor Week 2026” at the KIB auditorium in Dhaka on Sunday.
He outlined the government’s plan to reduce reliance on international lenders.
“Forget about the IMF giving money, the World Bank giving money. I have cancelled the IMF programme, as you have seen. Their conditions are not acceptable to us,” he said.
Bangladesh signed a $4.7 billion IMF loan agreement in early 2023 after negotiations began in 2022, amid a shortage of foreign exchange reserves.
The amount was later increased to $5.5 billion during the interim government.
The country received its first $476.3 million instalment in February 2023 and has since received five instalments totalling $3.64 billion.
Talks over the sixth instalment have been stalled for about a year.
After the BNP government took office in February, negotiations resumed, with Dhaka proposing to exit the existing arrangement and seek a new programme.
The IMF confirmed on Jun 3 that Bangladesh had applied for a new programme, without disclosing the amount.
An IMF mission was later sent to assess the economy and reforms.
Khosru said Bangladesh no longer wanted to depend on the World Bank, Asian Development Bank or IMF.
“We have cancelled the IMF loan agreement and taken the initiative to stand on our own feet. Bangladesh’s economy will reach $1 trillion in 2034 without assistance from donor agencies,” he said.
He said capital and bond markets would provide alternatives to high-interest bank borrowing.
“Capital market is the answer, bond market is the answer,” Khosru said, adding that infrastructure projects including the Padma and Jamuna bridges could be financed through the markets.
Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Investment and Capital Markets Tanvir Shahriar Ghani said the government aimed to make Bangladesh’s market comparable with regional markets within two years.
BSEC Chairman Masud Khan said IPO approvals would be completed within three months, while DSE Chairman Mominul Islam said restoring investor confidence remained the market’s biggest challenge.
