Dhaka, Jan. 14 -- Bangladesh's current-account deficit widened in the first five months of the fiscal year ending November last as sluggish export growth combined with a pick-up in imports, though the overall balance of payments remained comfortably in surplus.

The current-account deficit, or the key part of the overall Balance of Payments (BoP), stood at $696 million in July-November, compared with $568 million in the same period a year earlier, according to official data released on Tuesday.

By contrast, the overall BoP posted a surplus of $769 million, reversing a $2.54 billion deficit recorded a year earlier.

The turnaround was driven largely by the financial account, which registered a surplus of $1.23 billion during the period, c...