New monetary policy rollout today

Bangladesh Bank rolls out its next monetary policy today (Tuesday) amid indication that the central bank will maintain its tight stance for another six months to rein in inflation and stabilise the exchange rate.

The Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) for the first half (July-December) of the imminent fiscal year (FY2026-27) is set for the announcement by BB Governor Md. Mostaqur Rahman at a press conference at the central bank headquarters in Dhaka at 3:00pm, officials have said.

This will be the first monetary policy statement by the governor after he took charge of the central bank leadership on February 25 last. The banking regulator is going to announce the half-yearly MPS at a very critical period of time when inflationary pressure keeps rising notwithstanding the central bank maintaining a tight monetary-policy stance since October in 2024.

On the other hand, businesspeople have requested the central bank to take immediate measures to lessen higher lending rate amid persisting economic sluggishness.

Under such circumstances, the MPS will become a crucial one in the current macroeconomic context.

BB officials have said all policy rates are likely to remain unchanged as the central bank aims to closely monitor inflation trends over the next couple of months before deciding on its next course of action.

"We have formulated our latest monetary policy with top priority given to curbing inflationary pressure in the economy while keeping the exchange rate stable," a senior BB official told The Financial Express, replying to a query.

According to data with Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the headline inflation rose to 9.42 per cent in May 2026. The inflation rate was 9.04 per cent in the previous month of April.

The central banker, however, hints at a slight upward revision in the private-sector-credit-growth projection for the H1, despite a declining trend in recent months.

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