Dollar purchases, January remittance both cross $2 billion each

 
Bangladesh Bank's latest data on Tuesday shows notable turnaround in the external sector as both central bank dollar purchases and workers' remittance inflows crossed $2 billion mark each in January, easing pressure on foreign exchange market.

Expatriate Bangladeshi nationals sent $84 million on January 19 alone. With this, the cumulative remittance inflows for January 1-19 reached $2.12 billion, up sharply from $1.36 billion during the same period last year. 

This represents a year-on-year growth of about 56 percent for the month so far, reflecting stronger use of formal channels and improved confidence among overseas workers.

On a fiscal-year basis, remittances from July 2025 to January 19, 2026 stood at $18.39 billion, compared with $15.14 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. This marks a growth of more than 21 percent in the current fiscal year to date, providing crucial support to the balance of payments.

Alongside remittance surge, Bangladesh Bank also stepped up its dollar purchase operations. On Monday, the central bank bought $45 million from two commercial banks at an exchange rate of Tk 122.30 per dollar, with the same rate used as the cut-off.

With the latest transaction, total dollar purchases by the central bank reached $743 million in January 2026. Cumulative purchases in the current fiscal year so far rose to $3.88 billion. Officials said the strong inflow of remittances has created room for the central bank to purchase dollars without destabilising the market, helping rebuild reserves and manage liquidity. 
Economists view the parallel rise in remittances and dollar purchases as a positive signal, though they caution that sustaining this momentum will be critical amid ongoing global uncertainties.