Staff Correspondent: Despite the epidemic of coronavirus, the positive trend of remittances sent by expatriate Bangladeshis continues. The expatriates have sent remittances of USD 211.20 crore in the recently concluded October. This information was revealed by Bangladesh Bank sources on Sunday (November 1).

According to the central bank, remittances sent by expatriates in the fourth month of the fiscal year were 211.2 billion in October. In Bangladeshi currency, the amount has dropped to Tk 17,740 crore; (84 Tk per dollar). This the third highest remittance collection in one month in the history of Bangladesh. Earlier, the highest record remittance came in July this year. Remittances in that month came to 259 crore 95 lakh dollars. The second highest remittance of 215 crore 1 million US dollars was sent in September this year.

Remittances sent in October this year is to 480 million, or 28.62 percent more compared to last year. In October last year, remittances sent by expatriates amounted to 164.20 million.

In the first four months of the fiscal year 2020-21 (July-October), remittances reached 625 million. During the same period of the last financial year, remittances came to 617 crore 10 million dollars. As such, the growth of expatriate income in the first four months of the current financial year stood at 43.24 percent.

Meanwhile, the flow of remittances sent to Bangladesh by expatriates has increased in 2020 and this year Bangladesh will be in the eighth position in generating expatriate income, according to the World Bank. This was stated in a report titled 'Covid-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens' published by a leading Washington-based organization on October 29.

According to the World Bank, remittance inflows to the two South Asian countries will continue to increase despite the epidemic.

According to the report, remittance inflows to Bangladesh will increase by another 6 percent this year. The amount of remittance flow in Bangladesh this year will be 20 billion US dollars.

Bangladesh Bank's foreign exchange reserves are in a positive position due to strong remittance inflows. According to data released by the central bank, the country's reserves stood at 41 billion at the end of October, up from 32.43 billion in the same period last year.

According to the central bank, in the 2019-20 fiscal year, the expatriates sent a total amount of 1,820.49 million dollars to the country. In domestic currency of which one lakh 54 thousand 742 crore taka (amount 85 taka per dollar). In the financial year 2018-19, a record number of remittances were collected in the country. At that time, the expatriates sent remittances of one thousand 642 crore dollars. As a result, remittances have increased by 178 crore 53 lakh dollars or 15 thousand crore taka in the just ended financial year as compared to the previous financial year.