USD to BDT for business payments

The Bangladeshi taka at a glance

The Bangladeshi taka (BDT) is issued by Bangladesh Bank, the central bank, which sets foreign exchange rules in circulars issued under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 (FER Act). Foreign exchange business runs through authorized dealer (AD) banks, licensed by Bangladesh Bank to deal in foreign exchange. The taka's rate against the dollar changes, and the AD bank applies its own rate when it converts a supplier's export proceeds.

Sources: Bangladesh Bank, FEPD-1 Circular No. 26 of 30 July 2026; The Financial Express (22 July 2026); nsave, BEFTN guide. Checked on 29 October 2026.

Bangladesh Bank rules on export proceeds

Bangladesh's rules are strict on the supplier's side, and they shape how you should pay.

• Four months, through the AD bank. FEPD-1 Circular No. 26 requires export proceeds to be repatriated within four months through the supplier's AD bank. Terms of up to 360 days are possible against an irrevocable confirmed letter of credit or on open account. Failure without authorization exposes the exporter to action under the FER Act.
• No proceeds abroad. The circular states that retaining export proceeds abroad, other than in authorized accounts, contravenes the FER Act. A Bangladeshi supplier will ask you to pay its AD bank in Bangladesh, not an account abroad or a third party.
• Limited retention. When dollars arrive, the supplier keeps a set share in an Export Retention Quota (ERQ) account, a foreign currency account at its AD bank, and the rest is converted to taka by the following business day unless exempted. As reported by The Financial Express in July 2026, ICT freelancers may keep up to 50%, other service exporters up to 30%, and goods exporters with high import content up to 15%.
• Online platforms are capped. Service export receipts through online payment platforms are limited to $10,000 per transaction under the 2026 circular.

The full corridor guide is how to pay suppliers in Bangladesh.

How a payment reaches a Bangladeshi supplier

Bangladeshi accounts are identified by an account number at a named bank and branch. A dollar wire needs the AD bank's SWIFT code. For a domestic leg in taka, the supplier's bank also uses a routing number of 9 digits, unique to each branch and issued by Bangladesh Bank, according to the payments provider nsave. Wise lists BDT as a currency it can send to within Bangladesh by local transfer.

Sources: Bangladesh Bank, FEPD-1 Circular No. 26; nsave, BEFTN guide; Wise, currencies you can send to. Checked on 29 October 2026.

The EXP form is the export declaration that links a shipment to the AD bank that must receive its proceeds. Confirm the AD bank's code with our SWIFT code lookup.

What converting USD to BDT costs

When you pay dollars, the supplier's AD bank converts the encashable share to taka at its own rate, which is the market rate plus the bank's margin. Your costs are the sending fee and any intermediary deductions, so send with OUR charges if the supplier must receive the full amount. Mistakes are expensive: Prime Bank's July to December 2026 schedule charges BDT 1,500 plus SWIFT and correspondent charges to return or cancel an inward transfer, so check the account details before the first payment.

If a provider pays taka for you, the cost is the mid-market rate, the provider's margin and its fee, and you take on the conversion that the supplier's bank would otherwise do.

Helm is a financial technology company, not a bank. Its US dollar account services are provided by Bridge Building, Inc. (NMLS ID 2450917), a licensed money transmitter, with customer funds held at Lead Bank. A Helm account holds dollars in your company's own name and sends international payments to suppliers by SWIFT, or by local rails in the supplier's currency where available, with the rate, fee and expected arrival shown before you send. Helm cannot currently provide USD account details to companies based in Bangladesh; the account described here is for the foreign business that pays the Bangladeshi supplier.

Helm agrees pricing with each business in writing before the account opens, and shows the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you confirm each payment. See how Helm pricing works.

Pay a Bangladeshi supplier in USD or BDT?

• Pay USD for goods. The export rules are written around foreign currency received by the AD bank and matched to the EXP form.
• Pay BDT only where the supplier agrees that its AD bank can match a taka payout to the shipment, or for local services that are not exports.
• Pay within the period. Payment later than four months, or later than agreed letter of credit or open account terms, creates problems for the supplier with its bank.

Bangladeshi importers on the other side of the trade can read our guide to paying Chinese suppliers from Bangladesh.

Questions

References

1. Bangladesh Bank: FEPD-1 Circular No. 26 of 30 July 2026, foreign exchange regulations for export trade
2. The Financial Express: BB streamlines foreign exchange rules to facilitate freelancers (22 July 2026)
3. Prime Bank: Schedule of charges, trade services, 1 July to 31 December 2026
4. nsave: BEFTN, what it is and how it works
5. Wise: What currencies can I send to and from?

This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.