Bangladesh foreign debt rises 3.65 pc to nearly $115 bn in April–June 2026

New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Bangladesh’s foreign debt rose 3.65 per cent from the previous quarter to $114.98 billion at the end of the April‑June quarter of 2026, Bangladesh Bank data showed as per a new report.

The report from Bangladesh-based The Daily Star said Bangladesh Bank figures showed that public‑sector foreign debt climbed by $4.19 billion to $95.10 billion, while private‑sector foreign debt dipped by $140 million to $19.89 billion.

“Earlier, public sector foreign debt had experienced a downward trend, sliding from $93.74 billion in June of the previous year to $90.91 billion by the end of March. This earlier reduction was primarily attributed to sluggish implementation of foreign-funded development projects,” the report said.

The public sector debt stock rebounded after the government secured nearly $3 billion in budget support from multilateral and bilateral partners, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to manage fallout from the Middle East conflict.

“Meanwhile, the contraction in private sector foreign debt was driven by reductions in short-term loans, buyer’s credit and trade credit,” the publication said.

Bangladesh’s economic policy priorities are being ridiculed as inequality widens and poverty rises while large infrastructure and defence purchases risk sidelining measures to protect the poor, a new report has said.

The report from Bangladesh-based The Financial Express said 2.1 million people slipped into poverty in the last fiscal year and World Bank projects that 62 million more people globally could be pushed into poverty by persistent inflation and an energy crisis.

Rising prices and power shortages are hitting manufacturing, reducing investment and cutting jobs in the private and informal sectors.

It also argued that unequal distribution of wealth shows no sign of abatement under the present system but that the inequality is deepening further.

—IANS

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