Bangladesh Bank (BB) has made it mandatory for all Authorized Dealer (AD) banks and their Offshore Banking Units (OBUs) to submit information on private sector medium- and long-term foreign debt every month. This new requirement replaces the previous quarterly reporting system. The move aims to strengthen macroeconomic stability and improve oversight of the country's external debt.
Announced in Statistics Department (SD) Circular No. 03/2026, the new requirement is intended to enable Bangladesh Bank to better assess the country's foreign debt repayment capacity, support effective macroeconomic policy formulation, and compile more accurate Balance of Payments (BoP) and International Investment Position (IIP) statistics.
The monthly reporting will also enhance monitoring of the overall financial condition of the economy. Banks must upload data through the Bangladesh Bank's e-returns portal within the first 15 days of the following month using five Rationalized Input Templates (RITs) covering general information, tranche details, repayment schedules, transactions, and projections.
Additionally, hard copies of ED-1/ED-2 forms and relevant loan agreement documents must be submitted to the Statistics Department by the 15th of each month. The circular was issued under Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991 (amended up to 2023) and takes immediate effect. All other instructions contained in previous circulars on the subject remain unchanged.
This new reporting system is expected to provide Bangladesh Bank with timely and accurate data, allowing for better management of the country's external debt and contributing to overall economic stability.
