Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle held a courtesy meeting with Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman on Tuesday, reaffirming Australia’s continued support for Bangladesh’s financial reforms.

The discussions focused on Bangladesh's recent macroeconomic situation, ongoing banking sector reforms, non-performing loan (NPL) management, foreign exchange reserves, and current collaborations with international development partners amid global economic challenges.

Sarwar Hossain appointed BB deputy governor

The two sides also exchanged views on the restructuring processes of several commercial banks.

During the meeting, the Australian envoy reaffirmed her country's commitment to providing continued technical assistance to enhance the capacity of Bangladesh’s banking and economic sectors.

BB Governor Mostaqur Rahman expressed his gratitude for Australia’s past technical support in developing Bangladesh’s digital payment infrastructure.

Senior officials from both sides participated in the meeting. They included BB Deputy Governors Dr Md Habibur Rahman and Md Sarwar Hossain, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) head Iqtiaruddin Md Mamun.

The Australian delegation also highly praised the central bank's recent promotional campaigns for "Bangla QR," which aims to build a cashless Bangladesh.

Both sides expressed keen interest in further expanding cooperation in economic development, financial sector modernisation, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.

The meeting also highlighted the professional contributions of Bangladesh Bank officials who pursued higher education in Australia under the Australia Awards programme, noting their role in facilitating knowledge and experience exchange between the two nations.

The meeting concluded with both parties expressing optimism about further strengthening bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and Australia in the future.