Economic Relations Division
Profile
- Head
- SM Ebadur Rahman
- Role
- Secretary
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1972
- Legal basis
- Rules of Business 1996, Schedule 1 (Allocation of Business among Different Ministries and Divisions); Government Service Act, 2018 (Section 49 for contractual appointments)
Coordinating a record multi-donor pipeline: $1.3 billion IMF tranche expected by July 2026, $500 million WB budget support and $1.1 billion additional WB loans pending board approval, $2.5 billion ADB 2026 pipeline, $1.135 billion WB-AIIB loan repurposing for food-energy security, and the SSGP flagship project managing LDC graduation transition support.
Recent activity
- 2026-03-26 appointment SM Ebadur Rahman appointed ERD Secretary on a one-year contractual basis under Section 49 of the Government Service Act, 2018, replacing Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky who was transferred to the Ministry of Public Administration. ↗↗
- 2026-04-27 international High-level meeting at Ministry of Finance chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury decided, with ERD coordination, to repurpose $785 million from 12 World Bank projects and $350 million from one AIIB project -- totalling $1.135 billion -- to bolster food and energy security amid Middle East conflict-linked price pressures. ↗
- 2026-05-01 international ERD confirmed Bangladesh expects a combined $1.3 billion IMF disbursement by July 2026, merging the delayed December 2025 tranche with the next scheduled disbursement under the $5.5 billion ECF/EFF/RSF programme; fifth review discussion scheduled for July. ↗↗
- 2026-05-10 international ERD officials confirmed ongoing negotiations for a $500 million World Bank budget support loan (Jobs and Growth Development Policy Credit) as part of the $1.7 billion WB reform-linked financing pipeline; board approval targeted by June 2026, contingent on Bank Resolution Act amendment. ↗↗
- 2026-05-15 international ERD continuing ADB coordination for $2.5 billion total 2026 pipeline including $300 million for Dhaka-Sylhet Highway Phase II, $115.8 million for Narayanganj Green Urban Development, and $200 million for Chittagong Hill Tracts Sustainable Energy; ADB targets $1.11 billion disbursement in Bangladesh for 2026. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
ERD was originally established as the External Resources Division on 31 January 1972 under PM Mujibur Rahman; renamed Economic Relations Division in October 1990. It is one of four divisions under the Ministry of Finance (alongside Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division, and Internal Resources Division). The official URL erd.gov.bd redirects to erd.portal.gov.bd. SM Ebadur Rahman appointment on 2026-03-26 is contractual (one year) under Government Service Act 2018, Section 49; he replaced Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky. The $5.5 billion IMF figure comprises original $3.3 billion ECF/EFF (January 2023) + $1.4 billion RSF (January 2023) + $800 million augmentation under interim government. Of $5.5 billion total, $3.64 billion was disbursed as of June 2025 across five tranches; $1.86 billion remains. The $500 million WB budget support and $1.135 billion loan repurposing facts are cross-verified from TBS News, The Daily Star, and ERD official statements. annual_budget_bdt left null: ERD operating budget is a sub-line within MoF allocation not separately published in primary sources available.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Relations_Division_(Bangladesh)
- https://erd.portal.gov.bd/site/page/887fd3af-649b-45d2-8fa8-8538522dcaa9/Function
- https://erd.portal.gov.bd/site/page/baf35763-5756-4594-86b5-2c4208474f0c/Secretary
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/sm-ebadur-rahman-appointed-new-erd-secy-shahriar-kader-siddiky-attached-public
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/371758
- https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2023/01/30/pr2325-bangladesh-imf-executive-board-approves-usd-ecf-eff-and-usd-under-rsf
- https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2025/06/23/pr-25213-bangladesh-imf-concludes-combined-3rd-and-4th-reviews-under-the-ecf-eff-and-rsf
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/imf-asia-pacific-chief-meets-pm-tarique-rahman-dhaka-1392806
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-expects-13b-imf-installment-july-finance-minister-1392931
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/world-bank-signals-500m-budget-support-bangladesh-amid-imf-uncertainty-1140711
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/reforms-tied-17b-wb-loans-govt-mulls-changing-bank-merger-clause-4177456
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-repurpose-113b-wb-aiib-loans-food-energy-security-1426661
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/adb-targets-111b-disbursement-2026-strengthens-portfolio-oversight-bangladesh
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/318790
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/bangladesh-turns-aiib-15b-budget-support-amid-fiscal-strain-1242356
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-signs-400mn-budget-support-loan-agreement-aiib-climate-resilient-development
- https://www.jica.go.jp/english/information/press/2025/20250528_11.html
- https://sustainablegraduation-bd.com/
- https://erd.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/erd.portal.gov.bd/page/140d8a52_cc5e_46e2_aa87_687b38564bed/SSGP%20Annual%20Report%20Content%20(Latest)%20(1).pdf
- https://www.un.org/ldcportal/content/bangladesh-graduation-status
- https://mof.gov.bd/site/budget_mof/614ed932-7f64-4768-954d-6dfc2060817e/Economic-Relations-Division-ERD