Dhaka, April 21 -- The central bank has allowed banks to consider discrepant import bills, waived by importers under reasonable grounds, as eligible for payments, officials said.

To bring flexibility in import trade, it has been decided that authorised dealer (AD) banks may consider discrepant import bills, waived by importers under reasonable grounds acceptable to ADs, as eligible for payments provided that such waivers will not result in material changes, according to a notification, issued by the Bangladesh Bank (BB) on Sunday.

Earlier, banks could allow remittances against discrepant documents or documents received directly by the importers after the goods have been cleared from the customs authority, supported by bill of entry.

"B...