Dhaka, June 23 -- Bangladesh's repayments on past foreign loans surged to a record high in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2025-26, even as fresh external funding for development projects weakened amid slow implementation.

Updated data released by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) on Tuesday showed that Bangladesh repaid $4.13 billion to development partners and foreign countries between July and May.

It surpassed the total for the entire previous fiscal year by $40 million.

In fiscal year 2024-25, Bangladesh spent $4.09 billion servicing external debt, the first time annual repayments exceeded $4 billion.

During the first 11 months of the previous fiscal year, debt servicing payments, including principal and interest, stood at...