Bangladesh seeks $13.77 billion loan from World Bank to cope with country's economic pressure

Economy

Dhaka Magazine Desk

Published: Friday, 23 October 2026

Bangladesh has sought a total of $13.77 billion in foreign loans and assistance from the World Bank to tackle the country's economic crisis, strengthen foreign exchange reserves, and carry out long-term structural reforms, including in the banking sector. This includes $2.77 billion in project financing and $1 billion in budget support in the current 2026-27 fiscal year, and an additional $10 billion loan proposal over the next three years under the proposed ‘Resilience, Reform and Investment Partnership’ (RRIP) framework.

At the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings held in Bangkok last October, a 12-member delegation led by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury held detailed discussions with senior World Bank officials on these proposals. It has been decided to form a technical team comprising ERD and the World Bank with the aim of finalizing the agreement by June next year.

A large portion of this loan sought from the World Bank is planned to be used for imports of fuel oil, fertilizer and low-cost LNG, support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), banking sector reform, and important mega projects such as the Dhaka-Chattogram corridor and expressway. In addition, positive discussions have also been held with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding an additional $4.5 billion new loan package.