Foreign debt stood at $95.86 b

Staff Correspondent: As of June this year, the foreign debt of the country has increased to 9,586 million dollars or 95.86 billion US dollars. Its amount in Bangladeshi currency (1 dollar equals 107 taka) is 10 lakh 25 thousand 720 crore taka. As of June 2021, foreign debt stood at $8,157 crore. And as of June 2020, foreign debt was 6,859 million dollars. $27.27 billion in the last two years. This information comes out in the latest updated report of Bangladesh Bank.
According to the report published by Bangladesh Bank after six months, from June 2021 to June this year, the loan increased by 1,429 million dollars. And from June 2020 to June 2021, the foreign debt increased by 1 thousand 298 million dollars. As of June this year, the total external debt is $6,991 million in the public sector and $2,595 million in the private sector. Out of this, long-term debt is $7,521 million and short-term debt is $2,065 million.
On the other hand, long-term debt stood at $6,753 crore in June 2021. Debt in the sector increased by 7.68 billion dollars during the period under discussion. In addition, short-term loans stood at $1,404 crore in June last year. Short-term loans increased by 6.61 billion dollars in one year.
Meanwhile, short-term loans have increased the most in the last financial year. These loans have to be repaid quickly in less time and the interest rate of these loans is also high. As a result, it poses a risk to the economy. However, the debt-to-GDP ratio is still at a sustainable level of 20.6 percent.
According to the information obtained from the report, in the last fiscal year 2020-21, foreign direct investment or FDI came to the country at 251 million dollars. 344 million dollars came in the last financial year 2021-22. Investment increased by 37.2 percent in one year.
It is known that the highest investment in the last fiscal year came from the United States, amounting to 620 million dollars. China is in the second place with 270 million dollars. Singapore is in the third place with 16 million dollars. In the six months from January to June this year, foreign investors have withdrawn investments worth 630 million dollars. Its amount was 56 million dollars from July to December last year. In one year, withdrawals increased by $70 million.
Despite providing various facilities to attract foreign capital in Bangladesh, investors are investing abroad with legal capital from the country. In the past one year, even during the economic recession in the country, the amount of capital investment from the country has increased. In the last financial year, 7 crore 54 lakh dollars have been legally invested abroad from the country. In the last financial year 2020-21, it was 6 crore 52 million dollars. In a year, foreign investment increased by 15.7 percent.