Bangladesh’s remittance inflow rises 15% in July

Bangladesh’s new fiscal year has begun with remittances maintaining their strong upward momentum.

Expatriate Bangladeshis sent $2.86 billion home in July, the first month of 2026-27, up 15.4 percent from $2.48 billion a year earlier, Bangladesh Bank data showed on Sunday.

Remittances hit a record $35.59 billion in 2025-26, rising 17.34 percent from the previous year. Monthly inflows averaged $2.96 billion, with more than $3 billion arriving in each of the 12 months.

The highest monthly inflow was $3.75 billion in March, followed by $3.43 billion in May.

Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan attributed July’s rise partly to the stronger dollar.

“The tendency to send money through hundi or illegal channels has declined since the interim government came to power. Everyone is now sending money through banking channels. This is mainly why remittance inflows have increased,” he said.

CPD fellow Prof Mustafizur Rahman said concerns over the Iran war may also have prompted expatriates, particularly in West Asia, to send their savings home.

The surge is also strengthening foreign-exchange reserves. Bangladesh’s usable reserves stood at $31.60 billion on Thursday, enough to cover more than five months of imports based on the latest monthly import bill of $6.11 billion.