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22 September, 2024

Describe Government security with examples Or Describe the varieties of Government securities in the context of Bangladesh.

 Government Security: A tradable asset issued by a sovereign government is a government security. It assumes national debt liability. These securities come in two forms Short-term (sometimes called "treasury bills" with an original maturity of less than one year) and long-term (usually called government bonds or fixed-dared securities with an original maturity of one year or more).

Given that it was issued by a sovereign government, investing in it carries zero risk. Since the yield is set by the market, one can obtain an appealing rate of interest. Since these bonds are tradable in the secondary market, one can obtain instant liquidity by selling them in the market.

Major G-Securities in Bangladesh are:

a. Treasury Bills (T-Bills)

b. Bangladesh Government Treasury Bond (BGTB).

Government T-bills: Government treasury bills mature in one year or less. Like zero-coupon bonds, they do not pay interest prior to maturity, instead, they are sold at a discount of the par value to create a positive yield to maturity and redeemed at the face value at maturity. T-bills are commonly issued with maturity dates of 91 days, 182 days, and 364 days and are tradable in both wholesale and retail markets. Price is determined by the market. They are issued in scripless form Weekly (usually on Sunday) auctions of Treasury Bills are held following a pre-announced auction calendar with a specified amount. Bidders quote their prices. The Auction Committee determines the cut-off price from the offered prices.


Government T-Bonds: Government treasury bonds have the longest maturity, from two years to twenty years. They have a coupon payment every six months and are tradable in both wholesale and retail markets. They are risk-free fixed coupon-bearing debt instruments. Maturities are available within 2-20 years. It carries a half-yearly coupon payment and the principal is repaid on maturity. They are tradable instruments in the secondary market and also issued in scriptless form. A weekly (usually on Tuesday) auction of BGTB of a particular tenor is held following a pre-announced auction calendar with the specific amount. In case of a new issue, bidders quote their expected yields, and in a re-issue auction, they have to quote the price.