Record $922m remittance inflow in first ten days of September
The figure was 72.65% higher than $534 million during the same time in September last year, according to data from the central bank
Inward remittance has registered a big jump in the first 10 days of the current month, with expatriates sending home $922 million through the banking channel during the time.
The figure was 72.65% higher than $534 million during the same time in September last year, according to data from the central bank.
The country raked in $572 million in remittance in the first 10 days of August.
On July 1-9, expats sent home $746 million, and the whole month's remittance receipt was $2.6 billion, which was the single month's highest inflow in the history.
In August, the country received $1.96 billion in remittance.
During the first two months of the current fiscal year, $4.56 billion in remittance arrived, which was 50% higher than the figure in the same period of the fiscal year 2019-20.
In the last fiscal year, the country received $18.20 billion.
Riding on remittances, the country's foreign exchange reserve has recently increased to $39 billion.
Recently Fitch Ratings Inc, a US-based credit rating agency, forecasts that the annual remittance inflow for five Asian countries – Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines may drop by 12% on an average, a threat of losing a sizeable amount of remittance earnings this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank projected a 20% fall.
According to data from the central bank, during the January-August period this year, the country received $13.36 billion in remittance, while the total receipt in 2019 was $18.35 billion.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official at the Bangladesh Bank told The Business Standard, "We hope this uptrend in remittance inflow to continue in the future with Covid-19 fears going gradually. The country will receive more than $20 billion for a calendar year if the current growth rate continues in the remaining four months."
"However, the Bangladesh Bank counts remittance according to the fiscal year," the official added.