Bangladesh recieves record remittances of Tk 31,000 crore 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.