Remittance rises in August, thanks to Eid
Remittance hit a 14-month high in August, mainly due to Eid-ul-Azha, in a development that may bring a sigh of relief for the government.
Last month migrant workers sent home $1.42 billion. The last time this high an amount was remitted was back in June last year, when $1.47 billion was sent. After that, the monthly remittance was $1-1.2 billion.
August's receipts are also an improvement of 20.34 percent from a year earlier and 26.79 percent from a month earlier, according to data from the Bangladesh Bank.
Expatriate Bangladeshis sent home more money because of Eid-ul-Azha and severe floods in many parts of the country, said a Bangladesh Bank official.
Besides, in recent times, the government and the central bank took various steps that also contributed to the jump in remittance.
In the first two months of the fiscal year, remittance inflow increased 15.81 percent to $2.53 billion, according to the central bank statistics. In contrast, during the same time in the last fiscal year, remittance slumped 15.32 percent.
The government and the BB are pursuing further facilitation and widening of legitimate remittance channels for the migrant workers abroad, said the central bank's latest monetary policy statement.
Further avenues bearing promise of significant near-term gains in remittance inflows include promoting the sales of Wage Earners Bonds and Taka Treasury Bonds.
The bonds offer much better yields than what the migrant workers can get on their savings in their host countries. Loan facilities for apartment purchase in Bangladesh can also be marketed more actively to attract the savings of migrant workers.
Remittance is a major source of foreign currency for Bangladesh and its descent since fiscal 2015-16 has progressively become a matter of concern for the government.
Remittance inflow in fiscal 2016-17 has been the lowest in six years. Migrant workers sent home $12.77 billion last fiscal year, down 14.47 percent year-on-year.
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