Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s banking sector reforms, promising continued technical assistance to help strengthen the country’s financial system and economic institutions.
The assurance came during a courtesy meeting between Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle and Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman at the central bank’s headquarters in Dhaka, according to a Bangladesh Bank press release.
Senior central bank officials, including Deputy Governor Dr Md Habibur Rahman, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) Head Ikhtiar Uddin Mohammed Mamun and Executive Director Md Sarwar Hossain, also attended the discussions.
The meeting focused on a range of economic and financial issues, including Bangladesh’s macroeconomic outlook, ongoing banking sector reforms, the management of non-performing loans, foreign exchange reserves and cooperation with international development partners.
The two sides also discussed measures taken to address global economic challenges and exchanged views on the restructuring of several banks.
Governor Mostaqur Rahman thanked Australia for its previous technical assistance, particularly its support in strengthening Bangladesh’s digital payment infrastructure.
High Commissioner Susan Ryle welcomed Bangladesh Bank’s efforts to expand the Bangla QR payment system under the Cashless Bangladesh initiative, describing it as an important step towards greater digital financial inclusion.
The discussions also recognised the contribution of Bangladesh Bank officials who have pursued higher education through the Australia Awards programme.
Both sides noted that the initiative has helped strengthen professional skills while encouraging closer institutional cooperation and the exchange of knowledge between Bangladesh and Australia.
The meeting concluded with both countries reaffirming their commitment to expanding cooperation in financial sector modernisation, institutional capacity building and knowledge sharing as they seek to further strengthen bilateral ties in the years ahead.
