DHAKA, March 3, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Bank (BB) has allowed banks to provide a specialized loan facility for active export-oriented industries to pay the wages and allowances of their workers and staff for February 2026. 

The central bank move aims at maintaining production capacity and keeping the country's export growth momentum unhindered amid prevailing economic challenges, said a BB circular issued today.

The central bank's directive comes as a strategic intervention to stabilize the industrial sector. 

According to the circular, global and domestic economic headwinds, coupled with declining exports, delays in opening letters of credit and liquidity stress, have disrupted production in many export-oriented industrial establishments.

As a result, some firms are facing difficulties in paying workers' salaries and allowances on time, it added.

To ensure uninterrupted production and sustain export capacity, banks have been instructed to extend term loans, outside existing working capital limits, to solvent units for disbursing  February salaries.

The loan amount cannot exceed the average wage and allowance payments of the preceding three months of the respective firm.

Only industries that export at least 80 percent of their total production will be considered export-oriented. In addition, eligible applicants must have paid workers' wages for the period from November 2025 to January 2026, the BB directive reads.

The status of being "export-oriented" and "operational" must be certified by the relevant trade bodies, such as the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Banks will directly disburse the payments into workers' bank accounts, including through mobile financial services.

The facility will carry market-based interest rates. The loans must be repaid within a maximum of one year, including a three-month grace period. Repayment can be made on a monthly or quarterly installment basis.

The central bank also barred banks from charging any additional fees, commissions or penalties beyond the regular interest on the loans.

The directive has been issued under Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991.