January remittances dip by $450 million after December’s record inflow

January remittance inflows totalled $2.18 billion, reflecting a $450 million decline from December’s record-breaking $2.63 billion, though overall expatriate earnings remain robust

Staff Correspondent

Publisted at 8:01 AM, Mon Feb 3rd, 2025

Bangladesh received $2.18 billion in remittances from expatriates in January, marking a decline of $450 million compared to the record $2.63 billion received in December.

This translates to an average daily inflow of $70.5 million, according to the latest report published by Bangladesh Bank on Sunday (2 February).

Since the political transition on 5 August, monthly remittance inflows have consistently exceeded $2 billion, with December’s figures surpassing the previous record of $2.59 billion set in July of the previous year.

Breakdowns of the remittance inflows show that state-owned banks facilitated $511.13 million in transfers, while specialised banks handled $116.04 million.

Private banks accounted for the majority, processing $1.55 billion, whereas foreign commercial banks handled $64.9 million.

During the last week of January (26–31), expatriates sent $509.26 million home, while remittance inflows during 19–25 January amounted to $469.09 million.

In the preceding week (12–18 January), remittances stood at $400.27 million.

Between 5–11 January, Bangladesh received $509.88 million in remittances, while expatriates sent $226.73 million during the first four days of the year.

In comparison, January 2023 saw remittance inflows of $2.11 billion, indicating a slight year-on-year increase.

related news