Govt won’t debate growth projections, hopes to meet budget target: finance minister

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said today the government does not wish to debate the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest GDP growth projection for Bangladesh, and remains optimistic about meeting the budget target.

The IMF, in a report released today, projected that Bangladesh’s GDP growth would slow to 3.2 percent in the current fiscal year, against the government’s budget target of 6.5 percent.

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“We do not want to debate anyone’s projections,” the minister told journalists on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok.

“They have provided their calculation, and we are carrying on with our work. We hope the projection outlined in our budget can be attained.”

The minister said he had held talks with the World Bank’s vice president yesterday and with its managing director today. He described the latest meeting as a follow-up and said everything was moving on track. 
The meetings came as Bangladesh continues talks with the IMF to secure support in the current fiscal year (FY2026-27) to tackle economic uncertainties stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.

The minister said the World Bank had appreciated the policies adopted by the government to emerge from the economic crisis it inherited, including the burden of past liabilities and the fallout of global conflicts.

The lender had fully agreed with the government’s economic programme and trajectory for the short, medium and long terms and was ready to extend full support and continue cooperation, he said.

He said the talks were a foundation for a process that would continue for several months, and it would be wrong to expect any final decision at this stage. The discussions would move forward in Dhaka, he added.

Bangladesh had been under a $4.7 billion loan programme with the IMF since January 2023, signed by the previous Awami League government. The amount was later increased to $5.5 billion by the interim government.

In May this year, the BNP-led government decided to exit the programme eight months before its expiry. The government later applied for a fresh package, according to a June 3 statement by Ivo Krznar, the IMF mission chief for Bangladesh.

The country has so far received $3.8 billion in five tranches under the $4.7 billion loan programme.

Financing from multilateral partners, including the IMF, has gained importance as geopolitical tensions and the war in the Middle East have increased uncertainty and costs for energy-dependent Bangladesh.