Finance Minister Amir Khosru deems IMF conditions ‘not suitable’ for Bangladesh economy
Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the conditions being added by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the loan agreement are not “suitable” for the economy of Bangladesh.
He made the comments at a discussion titled “Roadmap to Building Bangladesh’s Economic Future in the Face of Global Uncertainty” organised by the Daily Bonik Barta in Dhaka on Monday.
The finance minister said the government could not accept all IMF conditions out of “responsibility” to the people.
Khosru said, “Most of the development partners agree with the BNP’s election manifesto. They are my development partners. If they do not agree with me, I will not be able to move forward.
“There are disagreements in many places with the IMF, because the conditions that they are giving are not suitable for my economy.”
Explaining the government’s continued stance against the IMF’s conditions, he said: “We are an elected government with a responsibility to the people. We cannot do everything according to their words.
“That is why we have differences with some multilateral organisations, and these differences will continue.
“I will correct my course as much as it is consistent with my manifesto. It is not possible to do anything beyond this.”
Amid concerns about the release of the remaining amount of the loan agreement with the IMF, the minister claimed on Apr 18 that the IMF has a “positive” attitude to continue the loan programme.
Earlier, after a meeting with IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clark in Washington DC, US, he told journalists: “The discussions [on the release of funds] are still ongoing.”
About three weeks later, he indicated that Bangladesh had failed to meet the IMF’s conditions, even as the country sought an additional $2 billion beyond the existing loan package.
The additional funds were requested to tackle the fuel crisis amid the war in the West Asia.
However, the IMF reportedly imposed stricter conditions than those under the current agreement.
Bangladesh signed a $4.7 billion loan deal with the IMF in early 2023 after several rounds of negotiations during the Awami League government to address the financial crisis.
In June 2025, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus increased the package by $800 million, raising the total to $5.5 billion.
So far, Bangladesh has received $3.64 billion in five instalments, leaving $1.86 billion outstanding. The sixth instalment and the remaining funds were due in December last year.
At the time, the IMF said the remaining amount would be released following discussions with an elected government.
Before disbursing the funds, the lender also sought progress on reform conditions, including improvements in revenue collection, where implementation has lagged.