Gold Price in Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) Today

Bangladesh is a significant gold consuming nation, with demand driven primarily by the jewelry sector and deep cultural traditions around bridal gold. The Bangladesh Jewellers' Association (BAJUS) — the country's main gold trade body — sets the official gold price in Bangladeshi taka per bhori (a local unit equivalent to 11.664 grams, nearly identical to the tola used in India and Pakistan). The Bashundhara Gold Refinery, part of the Bashundhara Group conglomerate, is the country's primary domestic gold refiner. Gold jewelry carries a 5% VAT in Bangladesh, though enforcement varies across the fragmented retail market. Bangladesh Bank (the central bank) holds approximately 14 tonnes of gold reserves — modest by regional standards but gradually increasing. The country's gold market is predominantly physical and retail-focused, centered around jewelry shops in Dhaka's Gulshan, Dhanmondi, and Old Dhaka neighborhoods, as well as markets in Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Sylhet. For Bangladeshi households, gold jewelry serves as both adornment and savings — it is the most common form of women's personal wealth and is routinely pledged for gold loans during financial emergencies. Remittances from Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf states and Malaysia contribute to gold demand, with returning workers frequently bringing gold as a store of their overseas earnings.

Gold jewelry in Bangladesh carries a 5% VAT on the retail selling price. The government has periodically adjusted this rate — it was briefly raised to 7.5% before being reduced back. Gold bars for investment purposes may have different treatment. Import duty on gold is 15% on customs value, making officially imported gold significantly more expensive than gold sourced through informal channels. A supplementary duty may also apply. Source tax of 5% is levied on gold imports. Capital gains tax on gold sales is not specifically defined — gains would theoretically be part of taxable income, but enforcement on physical gold transactions is minimal. Bangladesh does not have a formal gold exchange, and most transactions are cash-based, limiting tax visibility. The government has launched gold amnesty and formalization initiatives to bring the large informal gold economy into the tax net, with limited success so far.

Dhaka's gold market is concentrated in several key areas: New Market, Gulshan, Dhanmondi, and the old wholesale market in Tanti Bazar. Chittagong, as the main port city, has a significant gold market that also serves as an entry point for imported gold. BAJUS members include thousands of jewelers across the country, ranging from small family shops to larger chains. Gold in Bangladesh is primarily sold as 22K and 21K jewelry, with 24K bars available but less common. The bhori (11.664 grams) is the standard pricing unit, and BAJUS publishes daily rates that shops follow. Bashundhara Gold Refinery processes both imported and recycled gold, though most refined gold enters Bangladesh through official imports from Dubai and Singapore. A large informal gold market exists, with gold smuggled from India and Myanmar to avoid the high import duty. The microfinance sector in Bangladesh, led by institutions like Grameen Bank and BRAC, has explored gold-backed lending products for rural women. The garment industry, Bangladesh's largest export sector, creates a large base of female workers who constitute growing gold consumers. Wedding season (October-February) drives peak demand, with gold jewelry sets weighing 5-20 bhori being standard bridal gifts.