Staff Correspondent:

Bangladesh has received US $1.61 billion in inward remittances during the first 17 days of May, marking a robust flow of foreign currency from expatriate workers, according to a revised update from Bangladesh Bank.

The data shows that remittances during this period averaged $94.70 million per day, significantly higher than the $75.1 million daily average recorded in May 2024.

A breakdown of the remittance sources reveals that $493.3 million came through state-owned banks, while two specialised state-owned (agricultural) banks channelled $159.9 million.

Private commercial banks facilitated $962.7 million of the total, and foreign banks brought in $313.0 million. Among all banks, Islami Bank registered the highest remittance inflow, receiving $277.8 million.

From July 2024 to 17 May 2025—within the current fiscal year FY 2024–25—Bangladesh has received a record $26.14 billion in remittances. This figure surpasses the total of $23.91 billion received during the entire FY 2023–24.

Expatriates have already sent $24.54 billion between July and April of FY 2024–25, which exceeds the previous fiscal year’s full-year figure. Monthly inflows over this ten-month period reflect consistent growth:

April: $2.75 billion

March: $3.29 billion

February: $2.53 billion

January: $2.19 billion

December: $2.64 billion

November: $2.2 billion

October: $2.39 billion

September: $2.4 billion

August: $2.22 billion

July: $1.91 billion

The steady rise in remittance inflow continues to bolster Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves and contributes significantly to the national economy, experts said.