Remittance inflow into Bangladesh surged by 11.7 per cent in September compared with the same month a year earlier.
Bangladesh Bank data show that remittances rose to $2.68 billion in September 2025, up from $2.40 billion in September 2024.
However, the figure was also higher than August鈥檚 $2.42 billion.
During the first three months of the 2025-26 financial year, remittances jumped 15.9 per cent to $7.58 billion from $6.54 billion in the same period of FY24.
In the past fiscal year, remittance inflows crossed the $30 billion mark for the first time, reaching $30.32 billion 鈥� a 26.8 per cent rise from $23.91 billion in FY24.
Monthly inflows have remained above $2 billion since August 2024, supported by improved official exchange rates and government incentives.
Bankers attributed the growth to a reduced rate gap between official channels and the informal hundi market.
Previously, a substantial difference between open market and interbank dollar rates prompted many migrants to use informal channels.
The interbank exchange rate rose to Tk 122 a US dollar, up from Tk 110 in December 2023 and significantly higher than Tk 106 in June 2023 and Tk 93.45 in June 2022.
The steady increase in official rates has made banking channels more attractive to remitters, particularly when combined with the government鈥檚 incentive package.
Since January 2022, the government has offered a 2.5 per cent cash incentive on remittances sent through formal channels, up from the previous 2 per cent before.
After the political shift in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, remittance inflow through formal channel surged significantly.
Another crucial contributor has been the tightening of regulatory oversight on money laundering and illegal transactions.
The inflows helped push foreign currency reserves, measured under International Monetary Fund guidelines, to $26.39 billion on September 24, giving the central bank more space to manage currency volatility and external payments.
The Bangladesh Bank data showed that in September, six state-owned banks received $466 million in remittances, two specialised banks $258 million, 43 private commercial banks $1,954 million and nine foreign commercial banks $6.24 million.
Islami Bank Bangladesh led the list with collecting highest $698 million, followed by Bangladesh Krishi Bank $258 million, Janata Bank $170.9 million, BRAC Bank $160 million and Trust Bank $152 million.
Meanwhile, trade deficit, although still large, also showed slight improvement in July-June.
The gap narrowed to $20.5 billion in FY25, compared with that of $22.4 billion a year earlier.