BB Buys $209m to Steady Forex Market, Boost Reserves

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Bangladesh Bank on Sunday purchased $209 million from 19 commercial banks at a rate of Tk122.30 per dollar, continuing its efforts to stabilise the foreign exchange market and support remittance and export inflows.

Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said the central bank has bought more than $4.73 billion from commercial banks through auctions so far in the current fiscal year.

With the latest transaction, total dollar purchases by the central bank in February have reached $795 million.

The central bank has been buying dollars mainly due to increased supply in the market, driven by higher remittance inflows through formal banking channels. As a result, commercial banks have shown growing interest in selling surplus dollars to the central bank.

A senior Bangladesh Bank official said banks are keen to offload excess foreign currency, while the central bank is using the opportunity to strengthen its foreign exchange reserves.

In January 2026, remittance inflows stood at $3.17 billion, the third-highest monthly figure on record. This marked a 45.41 percent increase compared to January 2025, when remittances amounted to $2.18 billion.

The highest monthly remittance inflow was recorded in March 2025 at $3.29 billion, followed by December of the same year with $3.22 billion.

Another senior central bank official said the ongoing dollar purchases are aimed at supporting exporters, sustaining remittance flows and preventing excessive appreciation of the taka by keeping the exchange rate stable.

Bangladesh Bank began purchasing dollars through auctions in July of the current fiscal year. These transactions have also injected a corresponding amount of taka into the banking system, supporting liquidity.