Bangladesh is seeking $14.5 billion from the IMF and World Bank amid fiscal pressure from energy subsidies and weak growth, while asking to phase proposed IMF conditions.
Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, adviser to the prime minister for finance and planning, gave Anadolu Agency the breakdown on Oct. 19: $4.5 billion from the IMF and $10 billion from the World Bank over three years. The requests remain under negotiation, he said. Titumir said the government wants financing shaped around Bangladesh’s economic needs.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said Bangladesh wants to introduce proposed IMF conditions in stages, The Business Standard reported. The terms have not been agreed. The IMF said in June that Bangladesh had requested a new arrangement but did not confirm its size or conditions.
The World Bank request would supplement the lender’s regular support and help cover rising energy subsidy costs, The Business Standard reported, citing an unnamed senior finance ministry official who attended a meeting. After an earlier meeting, Chowdhury said the bank had pledged support but gave no amount, the newspaper reported. On Oct. 13, he said talks over an additional $10 billion were continuing and the bank had made no decision.
The World Bank’s Oct. 6 update projected Bangladesh’s economy would grow 3.4% in both fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027. It also reported about 2.1 million more people living in poverty in fiscal 2026 than a year earlier. The bank identified weak revenue collection, banking vulnerabilities and energy constraints as structural pressures. It said inflation had reduced household purchasing power, while subsidies help protect vulnerable households.
The IMF approved Bangladesh’s previous program in January 2023. A Bangladeshi delegation official told The Business Standard that an IMF mission was expected later in October, with staff-level discussions to follow. The official said Dhaka hopes to reach an agreement by year-end.
