Expats remit record Tk 31,000cr in February
Bangladesh is riding a remittance wave—and it’s cresting higher than ever. In February 2025, expatriate cash inflows smashed records, pouring in $2.528 billion—over Tk 31,000 crore at 122 taka per dollar.
Call it a political tailwind or sheer grit, but the dollars are flowing fast, bolstering reserves and rewriting economic headlines.
February’s big win
Bangladesh Bank pegs February’s haul at $2.528 billion—a $340 million leap from January’s $2.19 billion and a $500 million jump from February 2024’s $2.02 billion. It’s the second-highest monthly tally this fiscal year (2024-25), trailing only December’s $2.64 billion peak—the country’s all-time record. “We’ve never seen a single month this fat with remittances,” a central bank source grinned. Compare it to the pandemic-era high of $2.59 billion in July 2020—December 2024 blew it away, and February’s not far behind.
Eight months of muscle
The fiscal year’s first eight months (July 2024-February 2025) racked up $18.49 billion, dwarfing last year’s $14.94 billion for the same stretch—a $3.55 billion surge. The streak’s relentless: July kicked off with $1.91 billion, August notched $2.22 billion, September $2.40 billion, October $2.39 billion, November $2.20 billion, December’s record $2.64 billion, January $2.19 billion, and now February’s $2.528 billion. Eight straight months above $2 billion—an unbroken run since August. Last year? December limped in at $1.99 billion, a $648 million gap from 2024’s victory month.
Reserves get a boost
This cash torrent’s fattening Bangladesh’s foreign exchange piggy bank. Gross reserves now sit at $26.13 billion, up from recent lows. By the IMF’s BPM-6 yardstick, net reserves hit $20.90 billion— short-term liabilities like loans. But the real juice? Expendable reserves—the dollars Bangladesh can actually spend. Strip out IMF special drawing rights (SDR), bank clearing accounts, and ACU bills, and Bangladesh is left with just over $15 billion. That’s enough to cover three months of imports—the bare-minimum safety net economists demand. “We’re holding steady,” a Bangladesh Bank insider said, though the figure’s kept hushed outside IMF circles.
Why It matters
Remittances aren’t just numbers—they’re lifelines. Expatriates, from Dubai’s skyscrapers to London’s kitchens, are sending home more, fuelled by a post-political-shift confidence. December’s $2.64 billion wasn’t a fluke—it was a signal. February’s $2.528 billion proves the momentum’s real. For a nation where dollars prop up everything from fuel to food imports, this surge is a buffer against global shocks.
What’s next?
The $31,000 crore question: can Bangladesh keep this rolling? Eight months of $2 billion-plus hauls suggest a new normal—$20 billion annually isn’t a pipe dream anymore. With reserves climbing and the taka under pressure, every dollar counts. Expatriates are delivering, but sustaining it means keeping the trust—and the pipelines—open. For now, February’s record is a flex worth celebrating.