Dhaka, Nov 10 (V7N) — Bangladesh Bank’s foreign exchange reserves have declined again following the payment of the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) bill. On Sunday (November 9), the central bank paid $1.61 billion to settle import bills under the ACU system, bringing the total reserves down to $31.14 billion.

According to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) BPM6 accounting system, the country’s reserves now stand at $26.43 billion.

Central bank officials said the payment covered import transactions conducted between September and October. Such payments are made every two months to settle transactions among ACU member countries.

Last month, reserves had exceeded $32 billion, but the payment brought them below the $31 billion mark. However, Bangladesh Bank officials noted that the reserves have remained relatively stable thanks to steady inflows from remittances and exports.

The Asian Clearing Union serves as a regional settlement mechanism for trade payments among nine member countries — Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Through this system, member nations settle import-export transactions every two months.

END/SMA/AJ