Remittance inflows to Bangladesh fell to an 11-month low in September, signalling a sharp loss of momentum even as receipts for the first quarter of the fiscal year remained well above last year’s level.
Migrant workers sent home $2.77 billion during the month, down about 7 per cent from $2.97 billion in August and the lowest monthly inflow since October 2025, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
The September figure was still 3 per cent higher than the $2.69 billion received in the same month a year earlier. But the pace of year-on-year growth slowed dramatically from more than 22 per cent in August.
It was also the fourth consecutive month in which remittance receipts remained below $3 billion, extending a slowdown that began after inflows stayed above that level for six straight months through May.
The weakness in September contrasts with the broader fiscal-year picture. Remittances totalled $8.59 billion during July–September, up 13.3 per cent from $7.59 billion in the same period a year earlier.
That means most of the first-quarter growth was generated in July and August. Of the roughly $1 billion year-on-year increase during the quarter, September contributed only about $80 million.
The slowdown became more visible towards the end of the month. Around $1 billion arrived during the first 10 days of September and cumulative receipts approached $2 billion by 20 September, indicating that the pace weakened during the final third of the month.
Bankers said they had yet to identify a clear reason for the slowdown.
Some pointed to heightened uncertainty in the Middle East, home to a large share of Bangladeshi migrant workers, as a possible factor affecting remittance flows. Industry participants have also cited the regional conflict as one reason monthly inflows have remained below $3 billion in recent months.
Bankers said another issue requiring scrutiny was whether money was again shifting towards informal hundi channels. They cautioned, however, that such a conclusion would require checking whether remittances from major Middle Eastern markets had actually declined.
