Bangladesh is seeking to resolve outstanding differences with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through negotiations, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said, signalling that discussions with the multilateral lender remain open despite disagreements over loan conditions.

Speaking on Monday at the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, the finance minister said the newly elected government shared the broad objectives of the two institutions.

“What the IMF and the World Bank want is also what the newly elected government wants,” he said, adding that efforts were underway to address the complications through dialogue.

Khosru said Bangladesh’s revenue collection had increased compared with the previous period and that economic conditions were improving. He also noted signs of renewed investor interest in the capital market, saying people who had previously turned away from share investments were returning.

The minister further said representatives from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank would visit Dhaka for discussions on financing to support the private sector.

The remarks come amid uncertainty over Bangladesh’s engagement with the IMF after the government previously expressed objections to conditions attached to its existing loan programme. The government is also considering a new three-year financing arrangement worth around $4.5 billion.

The annual meetings in Bangkok have brought together finance ministers and central bank governors from around 190 countries. Discussions involving Bangladesh are expected to cover potential IMF financing as well as World Bank support for budget assistance, energy security, food and fertiliser imports, social protection and climate change initiatives. The meetings are scheduled to continue until October 18.